? LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I 



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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, i 



AN ANTIDOTE 

FOR 

UNITARIANISM: 

A 

COMPREHENSIVE DEFENCE OP 

The Doctrine of the Trinity, the Divinity of Christ, 
the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, 
the original and total Depravity of Man. 
The necessity of the agency of the Spirit to Eenew 
the Heart, the Substitution of Christ for 
his People, and Justification 
by his Righteousness. 

ADAPTED TO THE CAPACITY OF ALL CLASSES OP READERS. 



T7 

BY JOHN RANKIN, 

Author of **A Present to Families," and "Letters on 
American Slavery." 



CINCINNATI: 
WEE D AND WILSON. 



1841. 

4 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1841, 
BY WEED & WILSON, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Ohio. 



Stereoptyped by J. A. James, Cincinnati 



PREFACE- 



The present is pre-eminently a time of mo- 
ral revolution. Long established systems are 
rapidly breaking up, and the cords that for ages 
bound great masses together are sundered, and 
new combinations are daily forming. During 
such a period there is, through the pride of in- 
tellect, and the love of novelty, peculiar danger 
of departing from long established truths, and 
embracing the grossest errors. Owing to the 
corruption of human nature mankind are ever 
prone to great extremes, either of rigor or laxi- 
ty, in their principles. Hence, when men throw 
off the rigors of long established customs they 
are in danger of becoming extremely licentious. 
While a time of revolution is, in some respects, 
favorable to promoting truth, it also affords 
great facilities for the propagation of error. 
The present, then, is a time when the lovers 

iii 



PREFACE. 



of the truth should propagate it with renewed 
zeal and diligence. 

It is a painful fact, that great numbers call- 
ing themselves Christians, deny the doctrines of 
the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the person- 
ality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, the original 
and total depravity of man, the necessity of the 
agency of the Spirit to renew the heart, the 
substitution of Christ for his people, and justi- 
fication by his righteousness. To stop the 
progress of errors so fatal in their tendencies is 
the object of the following work. Something 
in a new and concise form, adapted to all classes 
of readers, and afforded at little expence, is now 
needed. Unitarianism is advancing under dif- 
ferent forms, and in various denominations; 
and in all its forms, it is a spiritual poison that 
pervades the head and the heart, produces de- 
rangement in all the moral system, and sooner 
or later, it will bring on the chills of the second 
death, unless its progress be arrested by the 
application of the truth — by the power of the 
Holy Ghost. 

There are two classes of Unitarians. One 
hold Christ to be a mere man, commissioned 



PREFACE. 



to be the Savior. These are called Socinians, 
from Socinus, a prominent propagator of their 
doctrines. The other class hold that Christ is 
the first and greatest being created — some say 
begotten — but not eternal, not God, except as 
the Father dwells in him. These are called 
Arians, from Arius, a distinguished propagator 
of their doctrines. Both classes alike deny the 
divinity of Christ, the personality and Deity 
of the Holy Spirit, and are alike Unitarians, so 
called, because they hold that there is but one 
person in the Godhead. They also deny the 
original and total depravity of man, the neces- 
sity of the agency of the Spirit to renew the 
heart, the substitution of Christ for his people, 
and justification by his righteousness. 

A suitable work, defending, in small com- 
pass, the important doctrines they deny, put 
into every family that would receive it, would, 
to great extent, prevent the progress of the dan- 
gerous errors propagated by Unitarians. 

Of the suitableness of the following work to 

the end designed the christian public must 

judge. If they deem it in any good degree 

calculated to answer the end for which it has 
1* 



PREFACE. 



been composed, it is hoped they will take a 
suitable interest in its circulation ; and, if they 
do not so deem it, it is desired that some one 
will undertake a work that will fill the place 
for which this is intended. It is important 
that every family should possess a small work 
on the subjects it embraces. 



AN 

ANTIDOTE FOR UNITARIANISM. 



CHAPTER I. 

GOD AS REVEALED IN THE SCRIPTURES. 

Of all knowledge professed by rational be- 
ings, that which relates to the existence and 
perfections of God is the most important. He 
alone possesses that boundless perfection which 
can fully and forever satisfy the vast desires of 
immortal minds. Spiritual beings are consti- 
tuted with capacities so immense that nothing 
short of uncreated excellence can render them 
happy. It is the effulgence of the divine per- 
fections that lights up heaven, and fills its in- 
habitants with happiness unspeakable, and full 
of glory. And if fallen and benighted man is 
to be renovated, and made happy, it must be 
by a revelation of God and his glorious per- 
fections. Nothing less than the unfolding of 
infinite excellence can illuminate this dark 
world, and elevate the sin-degraded souls of . 
men. Man, stupid, and lost man, although 
surrounded by all the grand scenery of nature, 
and cheered by the amazing effulgence of the 
natural sun, blindly bows down and worships 
wood and stone. So deeply seated in his 

7 



8 



GOD AS REVEALED 



immortal mind is the darkness of sin that all 
the splendors of nature have failed to dispel 
his blindness and elevate his soul. The sun, 
and the moon, and the stars, since the morning 
of creation, have shone in brightness and beau- 
ty; still whole nations are shrouded in the 
deepest moral darkness. A brighter sun than 
that which lights up this world must shine 
upon man, or he will wander on in darkness 
without end. Every thing short of divine re- 
velation has failed to illuminate apostate men, 
and bring them back to God. He that made 
us, saw our necessities, and revealed to us 
himself and his boundless perfections. The 
sacred Scriptures were given to unfold to us 
God in his true character, and make us wise 
unto eternal life. Then with earnestness and 
delight we should study the sacred oracles to 
gain the knowledge indispensable to salvation. 
Then it is worthy of notice, 

1. That although the existence of the uni- 
verse is proof that God exists; yet it is from 
the sacred volume we learn that he is purely 
a spiritual being. Every thing to which we 
have access by our senses, is material and 
bears no resemblance to spirituality, and con- 
sequently, cannot convey to us the idea of 
spiritual existence. Although the heathen na- 
tions descended from ancestors favored with 
divine revelation, and might, by tradition, have 
some knowledge of spiritual beings, yet they 
attached the idea of materiality to even their 



IN THE SCRIPTURES. 



9 



gods. The impression of materiality is made 
upon ns so deeply, by every thing around us, 
that it is extremely difficult for us to form any 
conception of beings purely spiritual. Hence, 
there is reason to believe that we are indebted 
to the Scriptures for our knowledge of spiritual 
existences. It is from them we learn the im- 
portant fact that " God is a spirit," John iv. 24. 
But for the knowledge of this fact, we might 
have been worshiping some material being in- 
stead of the true God. 

2. Every thing around us has had a begin- 
ning, and therefore, the idea that every thing 
must have begun to exist, is so strongly im- 
pressed upon our minds, that it is exceedingly 
difficult to conceive of any thing existing with- 
out a beginning. There is nothing in creation 
calculated to impart to us the idea of eternal 
existence. The interesting fact that God is an 
eternal being, existing without beginning, and 
without end, is no where written but on the 
sacred page. 44 From everlasting to everlast- 
ing thou art God." Psalm xc. 2. This is a 
glorious ray of the sun of righteousness sent 
forth to illuminate the moral world. Suns, 
and moons, and stars, with all their dazzling 
splendor, are less than feeble tapers at noon- 
day, when compared to him whose effulgence 
lights up vast eternity. Eternal existence is 
infinitely above the powers of reason. The 
mightest intellect ever formed cannot fathom 
the endless depths of such existence. How 



10 



GOD AS REVEALED 



glorious and overwelming is such a view of 
Deity! and how well is it calculated to fill 
our souls with admiration and holy devotion ! 

3. Every thing around us is liable to change. 
Mutability seems to be written on the whole 
face of creation. Were we to reason from 
what we see, we would, no doubt, come to the 
conclusion that God is a changeable being. 
From the mutability of creation we might infer 
the mutability of the creator. How dubious is 
the boasted light of nature ! and how dear is 
the light of the sacred volume! "I am the 
Lord, I change not." Mai. iii. 6. God is " the 
Father of lights, with whom is no variable- 
ness, neither shadow of turning." James i. 17. 
These declarations are in accordance w r ith in- 
finite perfection. How could infinite excel- 
lence change ? Every change must be either 
for the better or the worse, and therefore ne- 
cessarily implies imperfection. It is true that 
in the Scriptures God is said to repent; but 
this implies merely a change in his providences 
and dealings, w r hich he always intended to 
make ; but it implies no mental change ; for in 
this respect "he is not man that he should lie, 
nor the son of man that he should repent." 

4. The mighty worlds that revolve around 
us, with all their vast trains of creatures, are 
evidences of God's immense power. Ancient 
philosophers, uninstructed by divine revelation, 
supposed that the world was formed of pre- 
existing atoms. They seem not to have en- 



IN THE SCRIPTURES. 



11 



tertained the idea that there was an actual 
creation of something out of nothing. That 
matter was brought from non-entity into being 
by the power of God they deemed impossible. 
The Scriptures teach that creation was an ac- 
tual production by the power of God, Heb. xi. 
:3: "Through faith we understand that the 
worlds were formed by the word of God, so 
that things which are seen were not made of 
things which do appear." There were no pre- 
existing atoms out of which the worlds were 
made. They were called into existence by 
the word of God. 44 He spake and it was 
done — He commanded, and it stood fast." 
" God said, let there be light, and there was 
light." By his word the universe was lighted 
up. Such is the account the Scriptures give 
of God's power. He is the "Lord God Al- 
mighty." Rev. iv. 48. All holy intelligences 
are represented as rejoicing in his power, 
"saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God Omnip- 
otent reigneth." Rev. xix. 6. 

5. In the visible world nothing can occupy 
more than one place at a time, consequently, 
there is nothing in the system of nature to 
teach us the omnipresence of Deity. It is 
from the sacred oracles we learn with clearness 
the important truth that God is omnipresent. 
These teach us that he fills immensity, and of 
course, is in every place at the same time ! 
"Behold the heaven, and heaven of heavens, 
cannot contain thee." 1 Kings viii. 27. "Whith- 



12 



GOD AS REVEALED 



er shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither shall 
I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into 
heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in 
hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the 
wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter- 
most parts of the sea; even there shall thy 
hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold 
me." Psal. cxxxix. 7 — 10. " The eyes of the 
Lord are in every place, beholding the evil 
and the good." Prov. xv. 3. Thus clearly is 
the important fact of God's omnipresence re- 
vealed ; and in this respect, how incomprehen- 
sible is the divine nature! How grand, and 
how interesting is the idea of an Almighty be- 
ing filling immensity, being, at the same instant, 
present in every part of his vast dominions, 
moving alike the floating atom and the massy 
world ; sustaining, at every moment, with un- 
abating energy, all the immense trains of his 
creatures, from the mightiest angel to the fee- 
blest insect. 

6. All creatures are limited in knowledge. 
They cannot even comprehend their own 
existence, much less can they comprehend 
how it is possible that a being should know 
and comprehend every thing past, present, and 
to come. The Scriptures reveal to us the 
fact that God is omniscient. "Known unto 
God are all his works from the beginning of 
the world." Acts xv. 18. " God knoweth all 
things." John iii. 20. "His understanding is 
infinite." Psal. cxlvii. 5. "Neither is there 



IN THE SCRIPTURES. 



13 



any creature that is not manifest in his sight ; 
but all things are naked and opened to the eyes 
of him with whom we have to do." Heb. iv. 
13. Such knowledge infinitely transcends the 
comprehension of finite beings. It is higher 
than the heavens, it is deeper than hell: the 
mightiest created intellect cannot ascend to its 
heights, or fathom its depths. 

7i In the works of creation we have striking 
displays of God's wisdom. To be wise is to 
be capable of devising and employing the best 
means to accomplish important ends. He 
who devised the stupendous plan of creation, as 
a means of accomplishing great and important 
ends, must be immensely wise. The sacred 
oracles give us a still brighter display of divine 
wisdom in the glorious plan of redemption. 
In view of this we may with rapture exclaim 
" O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 
and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are 
his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! 
For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? 
or who hath been his counsellor?" Rom. xi. 
33. How amazing is the scheme of uniting 
the human and divine natures in the person of 
Jesus Christ. " Great is the mystery of God- 
liness ; God was manifest in the flesh." 1 Tim. 
ii. 16. " The word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of 
grace and truth." John i. 14. Had the whole 
intelligent creation been summoned into one 
2 



14 



GOD AS REVEALED 



council, and the momentous question been pre- 
sented, how shall God be just, and be the jus- 
tifier of guilty man ? all must have failed to an- 
swer ; the wisdom of the created universe could 
not have approached a solution of the astound- 
ing difficulty. The brightest seraph could 
not have originated the stupendous thought, 
that he whose effulgence lighted up heaven, 
and filled it with glory immense, should take 
upon him the degraded nature of man, in it, 
bear the punishment due to sin, and then wear 
it forever! O what amazing condescension! 
Nothing short of infinite wisdom could have 
devised and executed the plan of salvation. 
Holy beings will, to all eternity, look upon it 
as containing in it the fathomless depths of 
divine wisdom. And to " God only wise," 
they will ascribe endless glory. 

8. In creation God has displayed his sov- 
ereignty in creating one being a man, another 
a beast, and another a crawling worm. He 
has made all his creatures according to his 
pleasure, and no one of them has a right to 
say to him "why hast thou made me thus?" 
The Scriptures teach us that he as a sovereign 
will do all his pleasure. Isa. xlvi. 10: "My 
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my plea- 
sure." Both in the natural and moral world 
he disposes of every thing as he will. The 
little sparrow cannot fall to the ground without 
his notice. He appoints every atom where to 
float, and where to rest. His providences ex- 



IN THE SCRIPTURES. 



15 



tend to all his creatures, all their motions and 
exercises. Acts xvii. 28: 44 For in him we 
live, and move, and have our being." He 
dispenses and withholds his favors as he 
pleases, and every holy being is prepared to 
say, let it be so, "Alleluia, for the Lord God 
omnipotent reigneth." 

9. On earth we have no examples of perfect 
holiness. While men exhibit some apparent 
good qualities they manifest a strong tendency 
to evil. We see in the same individual a 
wonderful mixture of good and evil tendencies. 
Consequently, were we to judge of Deity by 
the rational creatures he has made, we would 
likely conclude that he is partially good and 
partially evil. Were we, on this point, left to 
nature's light alone, sad would be our conclu- 
sions. We should doubtless fall into funda- 
mental error with respect to the real character 
of God. The sacred volume teaches us that 
God is perfectly holy. Isa. vi. 3: "Holy, 
holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts." The 
holiness of God consists in the purity and rec- 
titude of his nature. The divine nature is the 
standard of holiness. That fitness of things 
which exists in creation, and is recognized by 
the divine law as the standard of right among 
men, originated in the perfect will of God. 
He constituted that appropriate order of things, 
the violation of which is always wrong, and 
consequently, forbidden by the law of God. 
The idea that the law exists in the nature of 



16 



GOD AS REVEALED 



things independently of Deity, and that God 
himself, as well as his creatures, is bound by 
it, is an absurdity. Both the law and the re- 
lations it recognizes emanated from the perfect 
nature of God. He eternally exists an in- 
finitely perfect being. The eternal and un- 
changeable tendency of his nature is to do 
right. His nature is so perfect that it is in- 
finitely impossible that he should do wrong. 
His exercises are the results of infinite and 
unchangeable perfections. Hence God's holi- 
ness is infinitely above the holiness of creatures, 
whose perfections are finite and mutable. 

Holiness includes truth, justice and benevo- 
lence. God's infinite regard to truth has been 
manifested in fulfilling his promises at infinite 
expense. To fulfil the promises made to his 
people, he delivered up his own Son to become 
man, and bear their sins 44 in his own body 
upon the tree." In doing this he gave the 
highest possible evidence of regard to truth. 
( 'He is not man that he should lie, nor the son 
of man that he should repent." 

In sending rebellious angels to endless per- 
dition, God gave a striking manifestation of 
his regard to justice ; but how immense was 
the exhibition of justice given in the death of 
his Son ! When his own Son took the sin- 
ner's place, the Father did not spare him, but 
caused him to drink the dreadful cup of wrath 
justly due to sinners. The Son prayed in the 
anguish of his spirit, " 0 Father, if it be pos- 



IN THE SCRIPTURES. 



11 



sible, let this cup pass from me ;" but the Fath- 
er did not let it pass from him. " It pleased 
the Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to 
grief." When he hung upon the bloody tree, 
enduring agonies inexpressibly great, the Fath- 
er withdrew from him, and left him to endure 
the full demands of the broken law. O how 
dreadful were the sufferings the Son endured 
when he cried in loud, and doleful accents, 
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me?" Thus the Father has given the highest 
possible evidence of his regard to justice by 
exacting it of his own Son, who took the sin- 
ner's place. Although he was an oaly begotten 
Son, infinitely beloved by the Father, and in 
himself, perfectly innocent, yet when he took 
our sins upon him, the Father exacted of him 
the full demands of justice. 

In creating creatures^ and providing for them 
according to their necessities, God has mani- 
fested to great extent the benevolence of his 
nature. Creation abounds with evidences of 
God's goodness. " He maketh his sun to rise 
on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain 
on the just and on the unjust." But in the 
gift of his Son there is still greater evidences 
of his benevolence. "For God so loved the 
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whoseover believeth in him, should not perish, 
but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. This 
was love to enemies, and love at infinite ex- 
pense. From love, or benevolence, flows 
2* B 



18 



GOD AS REVEALED 



goodness to the innocent and mercy to the 
guilty. Benevolence is so prominent in Deity 
that the Scriptures declare that " God is love." 
All the perfections of God are exercised in 
perfect accordance with infinite benevolence. 
In all his vast plans of creation, providence 
and grace, the end is the exhibition of his own 
glory for the greater happiness of holy beings. 

The Scriptures then reveal to us a God who 
is purely a spirit, eternal, unchangeable, almigh- 
ty, omnipresent, omniscient, infinitely wise ; a 
sovereign, doing all his pleasure ; so perfect in 
his nature, that it is infinitely impossible that 
he should tlo wrong, and who has displayed 
his truth, justice and benevolence at infinite 
expense. How incomprehensible and glori- 
ous is the being revealed in the sacred oracles 
as the true God, the everlasting Jehovah, the 
creator, the upholder, and governor of all 
things. Such a being alone is worthy to be at 
the helm of universal empire, and to do all his 
pleasure ; under his control all things are in- 
finitely safe. To him we may cheerfully 
commit our temporal and eternal interests. 
He is worthy of our highest love and confi- 
dence, and we ought ever to be able to say 
with all our hearts, " Alleluia; for the Lord 
God omnipotent reigneth." And most ardent- 
ly should we unite with enraptured seraphs in 
exclaiming, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord 
God of hosts," — "Blessing, and honor, and 
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth 



THE GODHEAD. 19 

upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever 
and ever." 



CHAPTER II. 

THE SCRIPTURES TEACH THAT GOD EXISTS IN A 
PLURALITY OF PERSONS. 

That there is a plurality of persons in the 
Godhead, is, by some, believed to be incredi- 
ble, because incomprehensible. But among 
finite beings there is but little that can; in 
every respect, be comprehended. We cannot 
so much as comprehend our own existence, 
much less can we comprehend the existence 
of Deity. That God exists in three persons 
is no more incomprehensible than that he ex- 
ists eternally, without beginning and without 
end. There is no one perfection in Deity that 
we can fully comprehend. God is an incom- 
prehensible being, and therefore, incomprehen- 
sibility must be involved in every fact revealed 
in relation to him. If the Scriptures involved 
nothing incomprehensible, in describing an in- 
finite being, we should have the most decisive 
evidence that they were not a divine revelation. 
Finite minds cannot comprehend such a being. 
We are not, then, on the ground of incompre- 
hensibility, to reject any fact revealed in the 
sacred volume. 

The existence of three persons in one God 



20 



PLURALITY 01 PERSON'S 



involves no contradiction. They are three in 
one sense and one in another sense. These 
three persons are one God, but not one person. 
God is three in personality, and one in di- 
vinity. 

The term person means an intelligent agent, 
or actor. Every person is an intelligent agent 
or actor, that is, one that acts intelligently and 
distinctly from others. When we apply the 
term person to Deity, we must make allow- 
ance for the difference between the nature of 
God and that of man. A human person acts 
intelligently, and so does a divine person — in 
this respect there is a point of likeness ; but a 
divine person is infinitely above a human per- 
son. Each is a person ; but one is a finite, the 
other an infinite person. The Scriptures teach 
that God exists in a plurality of persons : the 
sacred volume opens with this doctrine. In 
the very first sentence of inspiration the name 
of God is plural. Gen. i. 1 : ''In the begin- 
ning God created the heavens and the earth." 
The Hebrew word translated God is plural. 
This plurality in name was, no doubt, intend- 
ed to designate a plurality of persons. That 
three persons operated in creating the universe 
is clearly revealed. "In the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was God. — All things were made 
by him ; and without him was not any thing 
made that was made." John i. 1. 3. This 
proves that the Father and Son were present, 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



2. 



and it is expressly said that the Spirit was 
active in creating the world. Gen. i. 2 : " The 
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the 
waters." Job. xxvi. 13: "By his Spirit he 
garnished the heavens." The Hebrew word 
translated creator, is plural. Eccles. xii. 1 : 
" Remember now thy creator." This implies 
that there was a plurality of persons operating 
in creation ; hence they are called, in the He- 
brew Scriptures, creators. Thus the fact is 
clearly revealed that Father, Son, and Spirit 
were present in creating the heavens and the 
earth. They were also present in creating 
man. Gen. i. 26: "Let US make man in 
OUR image after OUR likeness." Gen. iii. 
22: "Behold, the man is become as ONE 
of US."— "US, OUR, ONE of US," were 
doubtless used in accordance with facts, and 
not in accordance with the custom of princes, 
before any princes were created, as some sup- 
pose. The Father, Son and Spirit were pre- 
sent in these transactions, and therefore the 
terms "US, OUR, ONE of US," were appro- 
priate, and used in a natural sense. Were 
these the only intimations of a plurality of per- 
sons in Deity, given in the Old Testament, 
there might be some reason to doubt; but 
when three divine persons have distinctly since 
been revealed, there can be no room for rea- 
sonable doubt. 

The Father and the Son are distinctly men- 
tioned at the same time. Prov. xxx. 4: 



22 



PLURALITY OF PERSON'S 



"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or de- 
scended? Who hath gathered the winds in 
his fists ? Who hath bound the waters in a 
garment? Who hath established all the ends 
of the earth? What is his name, and what is 
his Son's name, if thou canst tell ?" This pas- 
sage reveals the fact that the Father has a Son. 

The Psalmist teaches the same truth. Psal. 
ii. 7 — 12: "The Lord hath said unto me, 
Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten 
thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the 
heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession. — Be wise 
now, therefore, 0 ye kings — kiss the Son lest 
he be angry." In this place the Father and 
Son are distinctly mentioned as two intelligent 
agents. The Father promises the Son an in- 
heritance, and advises the kings of the earth 
to seek his favor. 

In the Old Testament the Spirit is also 
clearly revealed. To prove this a few out of 
the many passages that might be presented 
will be sufficient. Job. xxxiii. 4 : " The Spirit 
of God made me." Isa. Ixiii. 10 : "But they 
rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit. — Where 
is he that put his Holy Spirit, within him?" 
Thus the Holy Spirit is mentioned as an in- 
telligent agent capable of creating man, and of 
being vexed by the rebellion of Israel. This 
proves that the Spirit is a real person and not 
a mere quality in Deity. 

Isa. xlviii. 16: "The Lord God and his 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



23 



Spirit sent rne." Or as some translate it, " the 
Lord God hath sent his Spirit and me." The 
meaning seems to be that the Father sent the 
Son and Spirit. 

The several passages above presented show 
clearly that the Old Testament Scriptures re- 
veal the fact that God exists in Father, Son 
and Spirit. 

The New Testament Scriptures assume the 
same fact without explanation, or any intima- 
tion of its being either a new doctrine or a 
new revelation. Luke speaks of the Holy 
Spirit just as did the writers of the Old Testa- 
ment, and presents him as a being in whose 
existence the Jews believed. Luke i. 15. 35. 
41: "And he shall be filled with the Holy 
Ghost, even from his mother's womb." " The 
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee." "And 
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." 
The word translated Ghost should have been 
rendered Spirit. The word Ghost means the 
same as the word Spirit. Isaiah says that Is- 
rael vexed the 44 Holy Spirit," and Luke says 
"Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." 
Thus the New Testament perfectly accords 
with the Old in relation to the Holy Spirit. 

Peter speaks of the Son just as he was re- 
vealed in the Old Testament. Matt. xvi. 16: 
"And Simon Peter answered, and said, Thou 
art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 
Daniel calls him Messiah, that is, anointed, or 
Christ. Dan. ix. 25, 26. Messiah is from the 



24 



PLURALITY OF PERSONS 



Hebrew, and Christ from the Greek, both sig- 
nify anointed. Both Testaments then call 
him the Christ, or the Anointed, and both call 
him the Son of God. In the Old he is called 
the Anointed, and the Son of God, and in the 
New he is called the Anointed, and the Son of 
God. " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 
living God." 

The high priest used similar language. 
Mark xiv. 61: "Art the Christ, the Son of 
the Blessed." He seems to have understood 
that the Messiah or Christ was also the Son 
of the Blessed, that is, the Son of God. 

John says, ''these things are written that 
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the 
Son of God." He speaks of the Savior just 
as the Old Testament writers did, as being 
both Messiah, and the Son of God. 

The New Testament writers call the Father 
God just as the Old did. Thus there is a re- 
markable accordance in the language of the 
two Testaments in relation to the existence of 
God in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

At the baptism of the Savior the Spirit de- 
scended upon him, and the Father spoke from 
heaven, "saying, this is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased." Matth. iii. 16, 17. 
Three persons, or intelligent agents, are here 
represented as acting their several parts. The 
Father acted, the Son acted, and the Spirit 
acted, and each a separate part. Hence, the 
idea of three persons, or intelligent agents, is 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



25 



clearly conveyed, and that by indubitable facts, 
in view of which, it is impossible that any op- 
posite idea should enter the mind. No one 
can read the passage without receiving the im- 
pression of three distinct agents or actors. 

The same impression is made by the for- 
mula of baptism. Matth. xxviii. 19: "Go ye 
therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost." In view of this, 
no one can avoid receiving the impression of 
three persons. And as baptism is an act of 
worship, and a consecration to the service of 
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, an impres- 
sion of the equality of these persons, or agents, 
is forced upon the mind, whenever the for- 
mula is repeated in the administration of that 
sacred ordinance. If any disbelieve that there 
are three persons in the Godhead, and that the 
three are equal, they must do it against the 
natural impressions which this sacred text 
forces upon the mind. 

The same impressions are forced upon us 
by another remarkable passage. 1 John v. 7: 
" For there are three that bear record in heaven, 
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, 
and these three are one," that is, one divinity. 
The genuineness of this text has been dispu- 
ted, because it has been left out in some ancient 
manuscripts ; but this is no proof that it is not 
a part of the sacred oracles. A transcriber 
might omit a text, by inadvertency, without 
3 



26 



PLURALITY OF PERSONS 



design, but no one could, without designing it, 
forge a text, and insert it in the sacred volume ; 
nor is there reason to believe that such a forge- 
ry could take place without detection. There 
is much less reason to suppose a forgery, than 
an omission through the want of sufficient 
carefulness in transcribing. The text in doc- 
trine and style bears upon it the impress of 
John. There is no good reason to doubt its 
genuineness. But if any persist in denying 
that this text is genuine, they may in other 
passages find ample proof of the doctrine it 
contains. 

A text of equal force is found in Heb. ix. 
14: 44 How much more shall the blood of 
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered 
himself without spot to God, purge your con- 
sciences from dead works to serve the living 
God." The SON, through the ETERNAL 
SPIRIT, offered himself to GOD. It is im- 
possible that language should convey more 
forcibly the idea of three persons, and that 
they are divine. The ETERNAL SPIRIT 
must be God, and consequently, equal to God 
the Father, to whom the Son offered himself. 
It is admitted that the Father is God, the Son is 
called God. The Father himself says to the 
Son, " thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." 
Heb. i. 8. The Spirit is called God. Acts v. 
3, 4. There are, then, Father, Son and Spirit, 
and each of them is called God. In the lan- 
guage of Scripture, the Father is God, the Son 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



27 



is God, and the Spirit is God; and yet they 
are but one God. "These three are one." 
There is a sense in which they are certainly 
three, and another in which they are as certain- 
ly one. They are three persons, or intelligent 
agents, and these persons are one in nature or 
divinity, and constitute but one God. The 
Father is God, but not independently of the 
Son and Spirit. The Son is God, but not in- 
dependently of the Father and Spirit. The 
Spirit is God, but not independently of the 
Father and Son. The Father does nothing 
without the Son, and the Son can do nothing 
without the Father, and the Spirit can do noth- 
ing without the Father and the Son. God is 
independent of his creatures, but is dependent 
on himself. In himself must be the resources 
of his action, and of his happiness. As a 
social being the resources of his happiness 
must be in the plurality of his persons. The 
infinitely excellent society necessary to the 
perfect happiness of an infinite being must be 
in himself, for it cannot be in his creatures. 
Thus a plurality of persons seems to be essen- 
tial to the independence and happiness of 
Deity; and thus the doctrine of the Trinity, 
though purely one of revelation, is in accor- 
dance with the dictates of reason. It is a dic- 
tate of reason that society is essential to the 
happiness of a social being. God is doubtless 
a social being, at least reason would teach us 
that he is such, for he has diffused the social 



28 



PLURALITY OF PERSONS 



principle to great extent among his creatures. 
And shall not he that made the eye see ? And 
shall not he who is the author of the social 
principle possess it in his own nature 1 And 
if God be a social being, reason teaches that a 
plurality of perfectly equal persons is essential 
to form that infinitely excellent society neces- 
sary to his perfect happiness. The Son, under 
the name of wisdom, seems to refer to this 
society. Prov. viii. 22, 23. 30 : 44 The Lord 
possessed me in the beginning of his way, be- 
fore his works of old. I was set up from 
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the 
earth was. Then was I as one brought up 
with him; and I was daily his delight, re- 
joicing always before him." The Son was 
set up from everlasting. There never was a 
time when the Son was not set up. He was 
by the Father as one brought up with him, 
that is, his equal in age. He was daily the 
Father's delight, and always rejoiced in the 
Father's presence. In accordance with this, 
the Son prays, "And now, O Father, glorify 
thou me with thine own self, with the glory 
which I had with thee before the world was." 
John xvii. 5. This shows that the glory and 
happiness of the Son was from eternity in the 
enjoyment of the Father. There was infinite- 
ly glorious society between the Father and the 
Son in the endless depths of eternity, and no 
doubt the Holy Spirit was with the Father and 
the Son in this infinitely pure and glorious 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



29 



society. The Savior, then, has revealed the 
fact, that the persons of the Godhead do have 
glorious society in the enjoyment one of an- 
other. 

Still, some will assert, that such three per- 
sons must be three Gods. But reason and re- 
velation unite in teaching lhat they are but one 
God. According to most obvious principles 
of reason, it must be admitted, that three intel- 
ligent agents, in the same nature, equally and 
infinitely wise, powerful and good, would al- 
ways judge and act in the most perfect unity; 
and, consequently, that the adoption of discord* 
ant plans of operation and government would 
be as impossible as their nature is perfect. 
Thus reason teaches that there is as much uni- 
ty in the three, as there could be in one ; and 
that they are as perfectly one creator, one gover- 
nor of the universe, and one God, as one such 
person could be. Revelation confirms the voice 
of reason, by declaring that ¥ these three are 
one." Deut, vi. 4 : " Hear, O Israel, the Lord 
our God is one Lord." Thus, while the Scrip- 
tures teach that there are Father, Son and Ho- 
ly Ghost, equally divine, and alike called God, 
they also teach that these three are one God, 
and most firmly deny the existence of any but 
one God. 

The true God, then, exists in Father, Son 
and Holy Spirit, and, of course, they who do 
not worship him as such, do not worship the 
God revealed in the Scriptures, and cannot 

3* 



30 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



reasonably expect to partake of the salvation 
tendered to lost sinners. This salvation de- 
pends upon the facts that there is a Father who 
gave his Son to die for men, that there is a 
Son who did die for them, and that there is 
a Holy Spirit who regenerates and sanctifies 
them, If these fact! be not true, there is no 
salvation ! Deep, and dark, and fraught with 
terrors, is all that lies beyond the grave! 
Gloom, hopeless and eternal, must settle upon 
the immortal mind! But glory be to God in 
the highest, these facts are true. " God so lov- 
ed the world that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should 
not perish, but have everlasting life." The 
Son did come and die, that fallen men might 
live, and the Holy Spirit is sent forth to regen- 
erate and sanctify those who are "dead in tres- 
passes and sins." And all nations shall final- 
ly see the salvation of God — the good tidings 
shall be carried to the ends of the earth, and 
great joy " shall be unto all people," 



CHAPTER III. 

THE SON IS GOD, AND EQUAL TO THE FATHER IN 
ALL DIVINE PERFECTIONS. 

The final destiny of every man will be de- 
termined according to the honor or dishonor 
he shall have given to the Son of God. And, 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



8! 



therefore, to understand his true character, as 
it is necessary to giving him appropriate honor, 
must be of infinite importance. 

Some believe that the Son is the first and 
greatest being, created or begotten, but not 
eternal, not " very God;" that the Father alone 
is " very God," and dwells in the Son so as to 
constitute him God, the Mighty God, even Je- 
hovah, and the object of divine worship. 

Others believe that the Son is fully equal to 
the Father in nature and perfection, and, conse- 
quently, is "very God," in the same sense in 
which the Father is, and therefore the proper 
object of divine worship. 

The first deny the eternal existence of the 
Son, his natural equality with the Father, and 
represent him merely as a constituted God. 
The latter assert his eternal existence, his full 
equality with the Father, and that he is God 
in nature and perfection. Hence the opinions 
of these two classes are infinitely opposite, and 
therefore cannot both be true. One of them 
must necessarily be fatally false; for, "he 
that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the 
Father." And it must be admitted, that if a 
man honor not the Father, he cannot possibly 
be saved. Hence, to be right in the question 
before us, is infinitely important! Upon a just 
decision hangs our eternal destiny. O let the 
weight of eternity press from our minds every 
vestige of prepossession and prejudice ! and 
for the all important decision, let us, with hu- 



32 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



mility and prayer, go to the word of God, that 
fountain of truth, from which a truly humble 
soul never departed fatally wrong. 

In order to a fair decision of the question be- 
fore us, we think it proper, in the first place, 
to examine the most prominent part of the tes- 
timony which is supposed to prove that the 
Son is the first and greatest being created or 
begotten, but not eternal, not" very God;" that 
he is constitued God, and the object of wor- 
ship, by the Father dwelling in him. 

The first testimony we shall notice, is a 
class of Scriptures which are, by some, believ- 
ed to prove that the Son is the first and great- 
est being created or begotten, but not eternal, 
not " very God." 

Rev. iii. 14: He is "the beginning of the 
creation of God." Heb. i. 6: 44 The first be- 
gotten." Col. i. 15 : 44 The first born of every 
creature." In a great variety of passages he is 
called 44 the Son of God," 44 the only begot- 
ten Son," and 44 the only begotten of the Fa- 
ther." 

In relation to his being 44 the beginning of 
the creation of God," we need but just remark, 
that the first being created, is the effect of the 
beginning, and not the beginning itself. The 
beginning cf creation is the divine energy exer- 
cised in the production of the first created be- 
ing. The Son possessed and exercised that 
energy, and for that reason is called 44 the 
beginning of the creation of God;" 44 for by 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



33 



him were all things created." Col. i. 16. "And 
without him was not any thing made that was 
made." John i. 3. Consequently, he could not 
have been the first being created unless he cre- 
ated himself. 

The terms " first begotten" and " first born," 
express the idea that the Savior existed as the 
Son of God before creation. He was begotten, 
or born, before " every creature," for by him 
were all things created. Hence, he cannot be 
a creature. 

The term 46 only begotten Son," now de- 
mands our attention. We will not trouble you 
at present with the controversies which have 
existed in relation to the application of this 
term. We believe it is safest to understand the 
language of the Scriptures in its most obvious 
and natural sense. The term " only begotten 
Son," expresses a relation among men of so 
high a nature, that every such Son is perfectly 
man. The Eternal Father has revealed to us 
that he has an "only begotten Son," and the 
natural idea is, that this Son is as perfectly 
God as a man's son is perfectly man. If the 
Father have a beginning, the Son must have a 
beginning. If the Father be a creature, the 
Son must be a creature ; but if the Father be 
eternal, without beginning, the Son must be 
eternal, without beginning. If the Father be 
God, the Son must be God. Hence, if the Sa- 
vior be not eternal, he is not equal to the Fa- 
ther in point of nature, and of course, cannot 
C 



34 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



be the only begotten Son of God ; for every 
such son is equal to his father in nature. The 
Father never had a beginning, either of exist- 
ence or exercise. Hence, the idea of his hav- 
ing an eternal Son is perfectly consistent with 
his nature.* 

The conclusion is, that the Scriptures, now 
considered, do most decidedly prove, that the 
Son is uncreated and eternal, and is as perfect- 
ly God as a man's son is perfectly man. 

Let us now consider another class of Scrip- 
tures which, by some, are supposed to prove 
that the Son is not "very God." 

The Father is "the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. xi. 31. And 
"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph. i. 
17. " God, even" his " God — annointed" him 
"with the oil of gladness." Heb. i. 9. The 
Son prays frequently to his Father. One spe- 
cimen is sufficient. " O my Father, if it be 



* Some contend, that as a man's son cannot be as old 
as his father, so the Son of God cannot be as old as his 
Father. But such seem to forget that it is the nature of 
man to have a beginning, and the nature of God to have 
no beginning. As man has a beginning of existence, so 
he must have a beginning of exercise; and, consequently, 
his son, as a result of his exercise, cannot be as old as 
himself. But God had no beginning of existence, and, 
of course, had no beginning of exercise ; consequently, his 
Son may be, and to be his natural Son necessarily must 
be, as old as himsef. If he is not as old as the Father, 
he is not in the nature of the Father, and, consequently, 
cannot be the natural Son of the Father. 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



35 



possible, let this cup pass from me." Matth. 
xxvi. 39. He is the servant of the Father. 
Isaiah xlii. 1. Matth. xii. 18. He was sent to 
do the will of the Father, John vi. 38. " The 
Son can do nothing of himself." John v. 19. 
He knows nothing of himself. " Of that day 
and of that hour knoweth no man — neither the 
Son, but the Father." Mark xiii. 32. "The 
Father — sheweth him all things that himself do- 
eth." John v. 20. The "Father hath taught" 
him, John viii. 28. He "speaketh the words 
of God." John iii. 34. The Son has nothing 
of himself. " The Father — hath given all 
things into his hands." John iii. 35. Even 
46 all power- — in Heaven and in earth." Matth. 
xxviii. 18. He says himself, "my Father is 
greater than I." John xiv. 28. And the king- 
dom which he received of the Father, he shall 
deliver up to him with subjection, "that God 
may be all in all." 1 Cor. xv. 24—28. 

In illustration of the first of these passages, 
we observe that the Father sustains two rela- 
tions to the Son ; the one, of a father, and the 
other of a God. He is both " the God and the 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This sup- 
poses the Son to have two natures — one di- 
vine, and the other created. And that he has 
these natures seems evident from the fact, that 
he is, in the sacred oracles, called both God 
and man. That he has a divine nature, of 
which God is the Father, we now take for 
granted, and proceed to show that he has a 



36 EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



complete human nature. In 1 Tim. ii. 5. he 
is called "die man Christ Jesus." He had a 
real body. Hebrews x. 5 : "A body hast thou 
prepared me." And he had a real soul, — 
Matthew xxvi. 38: "My soul is exceeding 
sorrowful, even unto death." Isaiah liii. 10; 
"When thou shalt make his soul an offering 
for sin." His mental powers increased, du- 
ring minority, like those of another child. 
Luke ii. 40. 52 : "And the child grew, and 
waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. — 
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature." 
" For verily he took not on him the nature of 
angels ; but he took on him the seed of Abra- 
ham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him 
to be made like unto his brethren ; that he 
might be a merciful and faithful High Priest 
in things pertaining to God, to make recon- 
ciliation for the sins of the people." Heb. ii. 
16. 17. "For we have not a High Priest 
which cannot be touched with the feeling of 
our infirmities ; but was in all points tempted 
like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. iv. 15. 

These passages make it as evident, as it is 
possible for language to make it, that the Sa- 
vior had a complete humanity, a soul and body 
just like those of any other son of Abraham ; 
"but without sin." Consequently, with re- 
spect to his humanity, God is as really his God 
as he is that of any other man. Hence, he 
prays like another man; and for this reason 
the Father is called " the God of our Lord Je* 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



37 



sus Christ," who, nevertheless, may be, in di- 
vine nature, fully equal with the Father. 

In relation to the servitude of the Son, we 
remark, that as man, he was naturally the ser- 
vant of the Father, and even as divine, he was 
officially such. For the redemption of man 
he voluntarily became a servant. Heb. x. 9 : 
44 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O 
God." This official and voluntary servitude 
implies no inferiority of nature, else our Lord 
was inferior to the disciples in nature when 
he washed their feet. 

This servitude of our compassionate Savior, 
instead of detracting from his original excel- 
lence, reflects one of the brightest glories of 
his divine nature, and one that will sweeten the 
notes of heavenly song to endless ages. 44 For 
ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he 
became poor, that ye through his poverty might 
be rich." 2 Cor. viii. 9. 0, it is astonishing 
grace ! When angels behold him stooping 
from the summits of uncreated glory to the 
manger, they swell their song, and touch the 
sweetest, highest note. 44 Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward 
men." Angels never saw so much of God before. 

As a servant he came down from Heaven to 
do the will of his Father, and for that reason 
he could do nothing of himself. He was too 
holy to violate the will of his Father. 

There is another sense in which he could do 
4 



SB 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



nothing of himself. If he be equal to the Fa- 
ther, it is impossible that he and the Father 
should act in opposition, the one to the other. 
Hence, the Father has done nothing either in 
creation or redemption without the Son. He 
created all by the Son, and he redeems all by 
the Son ; and the Son has done nothing with- 
out the Father. 

As a servant, he knows nothing but the will 
of his Father, who annointed him, "with the 
oil of gladness, to preach good tidings to the 
meek;" and gave him the spirit* beyond the 
measure of other prophets. In this sense he 
is taught of the Father; but the Father did not 
reveal to him, as a prophet, the day in which 
he would inflict judgment on Jerusalem. For 
this reason the Son is said not to know "of 
that day." That this is the true interpretation 
is evident from the fact, that other parts of 
Scripture represent the Son as knowing all 
things. John i. 25 : " He knew what was in 
man." And Peter addresses him as one who 
knew the secrets of all hearts, John xxi. 17: 
" Thou knowest all things, thou knowest that 
I love thee." We know he is to be the judge 
of the world; and how could he judge the se- 
crets of men if he were not omniscient? The 
Son, in becoming a servant, although he was 
infinitely rich, became poor; so that he had 
nothing of himself. But in order that he 
might perform his important work, and that 
while he appeared in the form of a servant, the 



IN THE GODHEAD* 



39 



intelligent universe might not mistake his real 
character, " the Father hath given all things in- 
to his hands" even " all power — in Heaven 
and in earth," "that in him should all fulness 
dwell," "the fulness of the Godhead bodily." 
And " the Father hath committed ail judgment 
unto the Son : that all men should honor the 
Son, even as they honor the Father." Thus, 
while the Son appears in the humble form of a 
servant, the Father supports his original digni- 
ty by exalting him to the helm of the universe, 
and by making him the fountain of fulness from 
which all the vast trains of his creatures are 
supplied, and by giving him a " name which 
is above every name ; that at the name of Je- 
sus every knee should bow, of things in Hea- 
ven, and things in earth, and things under the 
earth, and that every tongue should confess 
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God 
the Father." In this way the Father has se- 
cured to the Son the honor due to his divine 
nature while he acts as the servant of the Fa- 
ther. And to sustain and exercise such power 
and authority require as much divinity as to 
give them. None but uncreated excellence 
could bestow them, and nothing short of this 
could sustain and exercise them when bestow- 
ed. Hence, even in this appears the equality 
of the Son with the Father. 

When the Son shall have accomplished the 
great work of redemption, and "put down all 
rule, and all authority and power," his official 



40 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



servitude shall terminate in delivering 44 up 
the kingdom to God, even the Father." This 
shall be the last and most conspicuous act of 
his official subjection to his Father. All crea- 
tion shall first be put in subjection to the Son, 
as Mediatorial King, and then the Son himself 
shall be most manifestly subject to the Father 
in the act of delivering up the kingdom to him, 
and this act shall forever terminate his official 
subjection. Then shall he enter into that ori- 
ginal kingdom of glory and equality, which he 
had with the Father before the world was, 
44 that God may be all in all." Hence, the Fa- 
ther says to the Son, 44 Thy throne, O God, is 
for ever and ever." Heb. i. 8* 

We will further remark, that the passage 
cannot mean, as some suppose, that, after de- 
livering up the kingdom, the Son will become 
subject or obedient, as though he had before 
been disobedient, or not subject to the Father* 
But let the passage mean what it may, it is cer- 
tain that the Son shall reign as 44 God — for ev- 
er and ever." As the Father reigns as God, 
while the Son holds the Mediatorial kingdom, 
so the Son, after he shall have delivered it up, 
will reign 44 God — for ever and ever." 

Finally, the preceding remarks show what 
the Savior means when he says, 44 My Father 
is greater than I." As man, and as the official 
servant of the Father, he is inferior to him ; but 
in divine nature and original perfection, he pos- 
sesses full equality with him. 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



41 



We will yet examine one other class of 
Scriptures, which are supposed to prove that 
the Son is not 44 very God." 

1 Cor. viii. 6 : " But to us there is but one 
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and 
we in him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom are all things, and we by him." John 
v. 26 : 44 For as the Father hath life in himself, 
so hath he given to the Son to have life in him- 
self." Heb. i. 2: 44 By whom also he made 
the worlds." 

From these passages some infer that the Fa- 
ther alone is God, being the fountain of life to 
the Son and all things else ; and that the Son is 
a created instrument, by which the Father cre- 
ated the worlds. 

In order to show the true meaning of these 
Scriptures, and that the inference thus drawn 
from them is not just, we state, that the word 
of God does teach us that there are in Dei- 
ty 44 Father — Son, and Holy Ghost." Matth. 
xxviii. 19. The Son is called 44 God." Heb. 
i. 8. The Holy Ghost is called, 44 the Eter- 
nal Spirit." Heb. ix. 14. and 44 God." Acts v. 
3, 4. And yet the Sacred Oracles declare 
there is but one God. 

Each of these three, is represented as an 
intelligent agent. Heb. ix. 14: 44 Christ, — 
through the Eternal Spirit, offered himself 
without spot to God." John v. 7: 44 For 
there are three that bear record in Heaven, the 
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and 
4* 



42 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



these three are one;"* that is, they are one 
divinity. In these passages, and a vast num- 
ber more that might be quoted, the agency of 
each of three is plainly expressed. The Fa- 
ther acts, the Son acts ? and the Holy Ghost 
acts. The Father is called God, the Son is 
called God, and the Holy Ghost is called God. 
And yet they are but one God. I am aware 
that this doctrine is considered unreasonable . 
But we ought always to be humble enough to 
let the word of God guide our reason. Sub- 
mission to the dictates of revelation is one of 
the truest marks of reason. It is, however, not 
true that reason is against us. In all rational 
creatures the social principle does appear. — 
And would not reason draw from this fact the 
plain inference, that He who so widely diffus- 
ed the principle throughout creation, must him- 
self possess it to infinite perfection? And 
would not another plain inference be, that a 
plurality of equal persons in the Deity would 
be necessary to consummate infinite happiness 
in the full exercise of this principle ? Finite 
beings cannot add to the happiness of God. 
The eternal resources of his infinite and un- 
changeable happiness must be in himself. 

Again, it is urged, that three infinitely ex- 
cellent persons or intelligent agents, would 



* If any are disposed to dispute the genuineness of this 
text, the one associated with it is sufficient for our pur- 
pose. 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



43 



constitute three Gods. But this is opposed 
both to the voice of reason and revelation. 
According to the most obvious principles of 
reason, it must be admitted, that three intelli- 
gent agents, in the same nature, equally and 
infinitely wise, powerful and good, would al- 
ways judge and act in the most perfect unity ; 
so that the adoption of discordant plans of ope- 
ration and government would be as impossible 
as their nature is perfect. Hence, it is said, 
that "what things soever," the Father 44 do- 
eth, these also doeth the Son likewise." John 
v. 19. Not that the Father does some things, 
and the Son does other things like them ; but 
the Son does the very same things the Fa- 
ther does. Thus, there is as much unity of ac- 
tion in the three as there could be in one, and 
they are as perfectly one Creator, one Governor 
of the universe, and one God, as one such per- 
son could be. Hence, it appears, that reason 
unites with revelation in attesting that Father, 
Son and Holy Ghost, are but one God. Now, 
though the Son and Spirit are each in nature 
equal to the Father, yet they have official 
service to perform in effecting the redemption 
of man. The Son is sent by the Father, and 
the Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son, 
and, therefore, it is sometimes necessary to 
speak of the several persons according to their 
official characters, and not according to their 
absolute nature. By mutual choice the Father 
acts as God absolutely, and the Son and Spirit 



44 EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



as official servants of the Father. For this rea- 
son the Father is called God, in an absolute 
sense, while the Son and Spirit are mentioned 
in their official characters. Hence, it is said, 
44 To us there is but one God, the Father — and 
one Lord Jesus Christ.' ' But, if calling the 
Father God, in an absolute sense, will prove 
that the Son is not 44 very God," we may, in 
the same way, prove that the Father is not 
44 very God;" for the Son is called God in an 
absolute sense. Rom. ix. 5 : 44 Christ — is 
over all, God blessed forever." 44 The mighty 
God, the everlasting Father." Isa. ix. 6. 

But the Father is not only called God in an 
absolute sense, but is represented as the source 
of all being, and even as giving life to the Son, 
44 by whom also he made the worlds." And 
this is all consistent, if he be indeed the Father 
of the Son. But it should be noticed, that he 
has given to the Son to have life as he has it 
in himself, that is, to have it eternally, or with- 
out beginning; for so the Father has it in him- 
self. Thus, while the text asserts that the Fa- 
ther hath given to the Son to have life, it as- 
serts it in such a manner as fully proves that the 
Son is eternal as the Father. And this is by 
no means unreasonable ; for if the Father had 
no beginning of being, of course, he had no be- 
ginning of exercise ; consequently, was able to 
give the Son life without beginning, as he had 
it in himself. 

That the Son was not a created instrument 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



45 



of the Father in creation, is evident from the 
facts, that all things were created of nothing, 
and that a created instrument cannot operate 
upon nothing. But we have still a more sure 
word of testimony. "Thus saith the Lord, 
thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from 
the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all 
things; that stretcheth forth the Heavens 
alone ; that spreadeth abroad the earth by my- 
self." Isa. xliv. 24. Thus, the Lord declares 
he was alone in creating the universe, and de- 
nies all instrumental assistance. 

We shall now consider a class of Scriptures 
which are supposed to prove that the Father, 
by dwelling in the Son, constitutes his divini- 
ty, and renders him the object of divine wor- 
ship, and confers upon him the titles of 44 God 
— the mighty God, and the everlasting Fa- 
ther, and even Jehovah." 

Col. ii. 9 : 44 In him dwelleth the fulness of 
the Godhead bodily." 2 Cor. v. 19: "God 
was in Christ reconciling the world unto him- 
self." 1 Tim. iii. 16: 44 God was manifest in 
the fiesh." John xiv. 9. 10: 44 He that hath 
seen me hath seen the Father — Believest thou 
that I am in the Father, and the Father in 
me?" 

We readily admit that the Father dwells in 
the Son; but there is no evidence that the in- 
dwelling of the Father constitutes him God, 
and the object of divine worship. The Son is 
in the Father; but who would say that the 



46 



EQUALITY OP PERSONS 



indwelling of the Son constitutes his divin- 
ity, and renders him the object of worship ? 
He that hath seen the Son hath seen the Fa- 
ther; because the Son is the "express im- 
age of" the Father's person, through which 
the Father is seen, Heb. i. 3. Any one may 
easily see that the express image of the Fa- 
ther's person is not the Father's person. We 
further remark, that if the indwelling of the 
Father constitutes the divinity of the Son, 
every Christian has this kind of divinity in 
the fullest sense ; for both the Father and the 
Son dwell in every Christian. John xvii. 23 : 
"I in them, and thou in me." John xiv. 23: 
"And we will make our abode with him." 
But who would worship a Christian, and call 
him God, the mighty God, " and even Jeho- 
vah?" 

Finally, God and the Lamb are distinctly 
worshiped at the same time. Rev. v. 13 4 
" Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, 
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." This 
shows, most unquestionably, that the Father 
and the Son are, at the same time, distinctly, 
and equally, the objects of divine worship, 
which supposes them equal in divinity. We 
have now carefully examined the most promi- 
nent part of the testimony which has been ad- 
duced in support of the opinion that the Son is 
the first and greatest being created or begotten, 
but not eternal, not " very God ;" that the Fa- 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



47 



ther alone is " very God," and dwells in the 
Son, so as to constitute him God, the mighty 
God, "even Jehovah," and the object of di- 
vine worship. We find not, in all, one text, 
when fairly interpreted, to support this opin- 
ion ; but, that the testimony, as a whole, most 
decidedly supports the sentiment, that the Son 
is uncreated, eternal, and fully equal to the Fa- 
ther in nature and perfection, and is, in reality, 
" very God." 

We are now prepared to select and examine 
testimony in support of the opinion, that the 
Son is fully equal to the Father in nature and 
perfection, and, consequently, is 44 very God," 
in the sense in which the Father is, and, there- 
fore, the proper object of divine worship, — 
Psalm ii. 7: "Thou art my Son, this day 
have T begotten thee." Prov. xxx. 4 : " What 
is his name, and what is his son's name, if 
thou canst tell?" John iii. 16: " God so lov- 
ed the world, that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth on him should 
not perish." Matth. xvi. 16: "Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Here we see that the Old and New Testa- 
ments unitedly testify that Christ is the Son, 
the only begotten Son of God, and, of course, 
that he is in the nature of the Father. 

The only difficulty in the testimony arises 
from the expression, 44 This day have I begot- 
ten thee." Some suppose this expression ap- 
plicable to the Savior's miraculous conception, 



48 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



and others to his resurrection ; but the apostle 
Paul seems to be of quite a different opinion. 
In Hebrews i. 5. he adduces this passage to 
prove that our Lord is superior to the angels. 
But his superiority over the angels does not 
arise either from his conception, or his resur- 
rection from the dead. Hence, neither of these 
can be intended by the expression, 44 This day 
have I begotten thee." Other parts of Scrip- 
ture show that eternity w T as the day in which 
the Son was begotten. Heb. i. 6 : 44 When he 
bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he 
saith, And let all the angels of God worship 
him." Col. i. 15: 44 The first born of every 
creature." Hence, he was begotten and born 
before every creature. And Paul gives as evi- 
dence of this, that 44 By him were all things 
created." His work of creation is evidence 
that he was begotten and born before time. 
Hence, eternity was the day in which he was 
begotten. 

The passage from Proverbs shows that the 
Son's name is incomprehensible like that of the 
Father. By name, is evidently meant nature. 
The mere name of God is known to ail who 
have a divine revelation, but his nature is in- 
comprehensible. None 44 by searching can find 
out the Almighty unto perfection." The con- 
clusion is, that the Son possesses the same in- 
comprehensible nature with the Father. 

In support of this point we have yet more 
testimony. Exod. xxiii. 20. 21 : 44 Behold, I 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



49 



send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the 
way, and to bring thee into the place which I 
have prepared. Beware of him — for he will 
not pardon your trangressions ; for my name is 
in him." This angel was Christ. 1. Cor. x. 
9 : " Neither let us tempt Christ as some of 
them also tempted, and were destroyed of ser- 
pents." He inflicted judgments upon them, 
and would not pardon their transgressions, for 
the name, that is, the nature of God was in him, 

Phil. ii. 6, 7: " Who being in the form of 
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with 
God. But— took upon him the form of a ser- 
vant." The form of a servant which the Son 
took upon him was, as we have shown, a com- 
plete human nature. Hence, the word form, 
in this place, signifies nature. He took upon 
him the nature of a servant. His being in the 
form of God was the reason why he thought it 
not robbery to be equal with God. But no- 
thing short of his being in the nature of God 
could be a just reason for his thinking himself 
equal with God. Hence, the conclusion meets 
us irresistibly, that he is in the nature of the 
Father. If he had not been in the nature of 
God he would have been a servant, and, con- 
sequently, could not have taken upon him the 
form of a servant. 

We further remark, that nothing can be gain- 
ed by changing the translation. The apostle's 
purpose in the contrast between the form of 
God and the form of a servant, fixes his mean- 
5 D 



50 EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



ing. Nothing short of the idea of full equality 
with God will suit his purpose of exhibiting 
Christ as a perfect example of humility. For 
any being who was not in the very nature of 
God, to have thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God, would have been the highest 
degree of presumption and arrogance. But let 
the idea of the Son's full equality in nature 
with the Father be admitted, and you have an 
example of infinite humility. 

Col. i. 15 : " Who is the image of the invisi- 
ble God." Heb. i. 3 : " Who being the bright- 
ness of his glory and the express image of his 
person." 

It will be granted by all, that the image of a 
spirit does not consist in form or shape, but in 
spirituality and perfection. And of these, in an 
express image, or exact likeness, there must be 
an equal degree with that of the spirit of which 
it is the image. Consequently, if the Father 
be spiritual in his existence, so must the Son 
be, as his express image. If the Father be a 
person, so the Son, as his express image, must 
be a person. And that the Son possesses spir- 
ituality, and that he is a person or intelligent 
agent, will be denied by few. 

Again, if the Father be from eternity, or 
without beginning, so must the Son be, as his 
u express image." Let us now examine the 
divine testimony in favor of this conclusion, 
Prov. viii. 22, 23, 24. 30: "The Lord pos- 
sessed me in the beginning of his way, before 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



his works of old;" "I was set up from ever- 
lasting — I was by him as one brought up with 
him. I was daily his delight, rejoicing al- 
ways before him." Micah. v. 2: His "goings 
forth have been of old, from everlasting." 
John i. 1, 2, 3: "In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
Word was God. The same was in the begin- 
ning with God. All things were made by 
him, and without hrm was not any thing made 
that was made." Col. i. 17: 44 And he is be- 
fore all things." Rev. xxii. 13: "I am Alpha 
and Omega, the first and the last." 

This testimony supports our conclusion with 
united energy. The Father possessed the Son 
in the beginning of his way, before creation, 
and, of course, his eternal way ; for the Son 
" was set up from everlasting," that is, he was 
eternally set up. There never was a time 
when the Son was not set up ; for he was by 
the Father as one brought up with him, or his 
equal in age, "rejoicing always before him." 
His "goings forth," like those of the Father, 
were 44 of old, from everlasting." He was in 
the beginning 44 God — with God;" the creator 
of all things, 44 and before all things;" 44 the 
first and the last," as is 44 the Lord of hosts." 
Isaiah xliv. 6: 44 1 am the first, and I am the 
last; and beside me there is no God." Hence, 
nothing can be more evident than that the Son 
is from eternity, or without beginning, as is the 
Father. 



52 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



We remark, in this connexion, that the Fa- 
ther is almighty, and, therefore, the Son, to be 
his express image, must be almighty. In sup- 
port of this we present the following testimony. 
Psalm cii. 24, 25, 26: "I said, O my God, 
take me not away in the midst of my days ; 
thy years are throughout all generations. Of 
old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, 
and the Heavens are the work of thy hands. 
They shall perish, but thou shalt endure ; yea, 
all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a 
vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall 
be changed." According to Heb. i. 10, 11, 
12, the Son is called that God who laid the 
foundation of the earth. In Isaiah ix. 6, the 
Son is called 44 the mighty God. John says, 
44 all things were made by him;" John i. 2. 
Paul says, " by him were all things created." 
Col. i. 16. And he upholds " all things by the 
word of his power." Heb. i. 3. It is needless 
to multiply testimony on this point. The old 
and new testament Scriptures unite in declaring 
that the Son of God is omnipotent. Vast crea- 
tion is the product of his power ; his energy 
alike sustains the floating atom, and the massy 
world. 

The Father is omniscient, and so must the 
Son be, as his express image : and we may 
add, that by the Son 44 were all things created." 
Col. i. 16. He governs all things: Isaiah ix. 
6. He upholds all things: Heb. i. 3. He is 
the judge of all things : John v. 22. 44 The F» 



IN THE GODHEAD, 



53 



ther — hath committed all judgment to the Son." 
Consequently, he must know all things : this 
conclusion is attested by Peter in the plainest 
terms; John xxi. 17: "Lord, thou knowest 
all things, thou knowest that I love thee." As 
the heart-searching God, "He knew what was 
in man." His knowledge is infinite, extend- 
ing to the perfect comprehension of his Fa- 
ther's nature. John x. 15: "As the Father 
knoweth me, even so know I the Father." 

The Son, as the express image of the Fa- 
ther, must be omnipresent. As creator, up- 
holder, governor, and judge of the universe, 
his agency and presence must be universal: 
hence, he assures his disciples that " Where 
two or three are gathered together in" his 
"name, there" is he "in the midst of them." 
Matth. xviii. 20. 

The same may be said in relation to all oth- 
er divine perfections. The Son, to be the 
brightness of the Father's glory, and the ex- 
press image of his person, must possess them 
all to a full equality with him. Any thing that 
is not eternal in existence, and boundless in 
perfection, is infinitely less than God; and, 
consequently, cannot be the brightness of the 
Father's glory, and the express image of his 
person. The conclusion is inevitable. The 
Son possesses the same nature with the Father, 
and is equal to him in perfection. 

Hence, he is equally with the Father, the 
object of divine worship. To honor the Son 
5* 



54 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



as we honor the Father, while we believe him 
to be infinitely less than the Father, is impos- 
sible. Sooner might we honor, as Washing- 
ton, the vilest drunkard that wallows like a 
beast in the streets, or the midnight assassin 
who sheds the blood of unsuspecting innocence. 
The angel and the worm are alike distant from 
Deity in point of nature. And the worshipers 
v of angels and worms are alike idolaters — 
44 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve." Matth. iv. 10. 
John fell down to worship the angel: Rev. 
xxii. 8, 9 : 44 Then saith he — see thou do it 
not — worship God." And the Son himself re- 
fused the adoration of one that believed not in 
his divinity: Matth. xix. 17: 44 Why callest 
thou me good 1 there is none good but one, 
that is, God." Thus the worshiping of crea- 
tures is prohibited in the strongest terms, and 
the prohibition is enforced by example. But 
it is the will of the Father 44 that all men should 
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. 
He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the 
Father." And that supreme honor is intend- 
ed, will be further evident from the following 
testimony. Psalm xcvii. 7: 44 Worship him 
all ye Gods." Heb. i. 6: 44 When he bring- 
eth in the first — begotten into the world, he 
saith, And let all the angels of God worship 
him." Psalm cii. 24, 25: 44 1 said, O my 
God, take me not away in the midst of my 
days." This God is Jesus Christ, as appears 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



55 



from Heb. i. 10 : Isaiah vi. 3 : " And one cried 
unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the 
Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of his 
glory." John xii. 41 : " These things said 
Isaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of 
him," that is, of the Son of God. John xx. 
28 : 44 Thomas — said unto him, My Lord and 
my God."- Matth. xxviii. 9: 64 Jesus met 
them — and they came and held him by the 
feet, and worshiped him." Acts vii. 59: 
44 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, 
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 
Rev. v. 13 : 44 And every creature which is 
in Heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 
and such as are in the sea — heard I saying, 
Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be 
unto the Lamb, for ever and ever." Rev. i. 
5. 6: 44 Unto him that loved us, and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, and hath 
made us kings and priests unto God and his 
Father; to him be glory and dominion for 
ever and ever. Amen." Phil. ii. 10, 11: 
44 That at the name of Jesus every knee should 
bow, of things in Heaven and things in earth, 
and things under the earth; and that every 
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father " 

Can any testimony be more positive ? The 
supreme worship of the Son is commanded, 
and enforced by the strongest examples ; the 
highest acts of devotion are paid to him. We 
honor the Father with supreme worship, and 



56 



EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



we must honor the Son, even as we honor the 
Father ; and the very angels must do the 
same. The Psalmist addresses the Son as the 
God of life and death, and the ever living crea- 
tor of the universe. In vision, Isaiah heard 
the rapturous seraphims praising him as the 
thrice holy Lord of hosts, whose glory filled 
the whole earth. Thomas, in rapture, calls him 
his Lord and his God. The disciples hold 
him by the feet and worship him with the 
deepest reverence. The dying Stephen pays 
to him his last act of devotion as the omniscient 
and omnipresent God, and to him commits his 
departing spirit as to that God besides whom 
there is no Savior. John, in vision, heard all 
the creatures in Heaven, earth and sea, ascrib- 
ing equal and eternal honors to God and the 
Lamb. Here the Father and the Son are dis- 
tinctly worshiped at the same moment, and 
the honor ascribed to each is the same. Again, 
John, as with the voice of the church univer- 
sal, strikes the highest notes of gratitude and 
praise, 44 unto him that loved us, and washed us 
from our sins in his own blood — to him be glo- 
ry and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 
How animating the thought ! The glory and 
dominion of the Savior are 44 for ever and 
«ver." He shall never retire from the throne. 
The tallest angel, with every creature in the 
vast universe, shall forever bend the knee before 
him, and every tongue shall confess that he is 
Lord of all. The conclusion is irresistible. 



IN THE GODHEAD. 57 

The Son is equally with the Father the object 
of supreme worship. We hope it will be care- 
fully noticed, that in several of the passages 
just presented, the Son bears the title of God 
and Lord of hosts ; and, to these we will add 
a few more, — 

Psalm xlv. 6. Heb. i. 8: "But unto the 
Son, he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever 
and ever." Isaiah ix. 6 : 44 His name shall be 
called — the mighty God." John i. 1 : 44 In 
the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the Word was God." Acts 
xx. 28 : 44 Take heed— to feed the church of 
God which he hath purchased with his own 
blood." Rom. ix. 5 : 44 Of whom, as concerning 
the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God 
blessed for ever." 1 John v. 20 : 44 This is 
the true God and eternal life."* 

The Deity of the Father is no where express- 
ed in stronger terms than is that of the Son in 
the passages now presented. He is God, the 
mighty God, whose throne is for ever and ev- 
er, the true God, and God over all, blessed for 
ever. 

Let us now review the points we have en- 
deavored to establish. 

L There is no proof that the Son is not 
equal, in natural perfection, to the Father. 
The passages usually selected for that purpose, 



* He is the Lord God of the holy prophets. Rev. 22. 
6. 16. 



58 EQUALITY OF PERSONS 



do, as a whole, prove him to be the Father's 
equal. 

2. As a Son, he possesses perfectly the same 
nature with the Father, is the brightness of his 
glory and the express image of his person ; is 
without beginning, eternal, uncreated and al- 
mighty, omniscient, and every where present ; 
in truth possesses all divine perfections equally 
with the Father, is equally with him the ob- 
ject of divine worship, and must be honored 
even as the Father. He is worshiped as God 
and the Lord of hosts. He is God, the mighty 
God, true God, and God over all, blessed for 
ever, and his throne is for ever and ever. 

If any one can carefully examine the testi- 
mony we have presented, and still doubt the 
proper Deity of the Son, or his full equality 
with the Father in original perfection, surely 
he is an object of pity, and one that calls for 
our ardent prayers. 

Christian brethren, our Savior is divine, he 
Is the Father's equal ! Glory be to God for 
his unspeakable gift ! Had some mighty an- 
gel been sent to bless our ruined world, and 
wipe away our sorrows, how great the mercy ! 
But, O Grace incomprehensible ! he at whose 
feet the highest angel throws his crown — he 
who stands in perfection, infinitely above the 
brightest seraph — he whose glory fills the vast 
universe, is given for the life of a rebellious 
world ! He stoops from infinite heights of ma- 
jesty, grasps perishing rebels from everlasting 



IN THE GODHEAD. 



59 



death, and bears them to the mansions of glo- 
ry. Condescension infinite ! Divinity unites 
with humanity! That Babe that lies in the 
manger at Bethlehem is 6 i the mighty God !" 
That man of poverty who travels through Ju- 
dea preaching peace to the lost, is " the ever- 
lasting Father, the Prince of peace." The 
man who is pressed with sorrows and covered 
with bloody sweat in Gethsemane, is the Lord 
of hosts ! He who wears the crown of thorns, 
endures the cruel scourge, and receives the sen- 
tence of death at Pilate's bar, is he who dis- 
tributes crowns of life! That mangled victim 
which languishes and dies * on the cross is God 
over all, blessed for ever! And that blood 
which issues from his opening wounds is the 



* When we say a man dies, we do not mean that his 
spirit dies ; so when we say that God died, we do not mean 
that the Divinity died, but merely that the human body 
died, which existed in such intimate connexion with di- 
vinity as to justify the scrip turai expression : '* The word 
was made flesh." And the blood of God is the blood 
of that body : such language the Scriptures justify. John 
3. 16 : " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he 
laid down his life for us.' 5 Rev. ii. 8 : These things saith 
the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive. See 
Isaiah xliv. 6 : "I am the first and the last ; beside me 
there is no God." If any say that in John hi. 16. the 
word Christ ought to have been supplied, instead of the 
word God, we reply, that " Christ is over all, God bless- 
ed for ever," and further connexion justifies the transla- 
tion. 

Acts xx. 28 : " Take heed — to feed the church of God, 
which he hath purchased with his own blood." 



80 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



blood of God ! The sun blushes at the sight, 
and darkness veils the face of day ! See here, 
christians ! here flows the crimson fountain in 
which you have washed your robes and made 
them white ! — and but for this fountain, poor 
wandering sinners, you were the subjects of 
endless sorrows ! Come, wash and live for ev- 
er ! Unite with the church universal in the 
anthem of praise, " unto him that loved us, and 
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and 
hath made us kings and priests unto God and 
his Father ; to him be glory and dominion for 
ever and ever. Amen." 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A MERE QUALITY IN 
DEITY, BUT A REAL PERSON, POSSESSING ALL 
DIVINE PERFECTIONS, AND TRULY GOD. 

It is by the Holy Spirit christians 4 'are 
sealed unto the day of redemption;" conse- 
quently, to understand his real character must 
be matter of the deepest interest. "Except a 
man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter in- 
to the kingdom of God." To him we are in- 
debted both for regenerating and sanctifying 
grace; without which, we could never be qual- 
ified for the enjoyment of Heaven. But for 
his generous influences, the Son of God had 
died in vain — none of all our race would have 



OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



6! 



received his salvation. Therefore, love and 
gratitude to the Holy Spirit should lead us to 
study the sacred oracles, that we may know 
his divine perfections. 

I. That the Holy Spirit is a real person, and 
not a mere quality in Deity, may be establish- 
ed by a variety of facts presented in the Holy 
Scriptures. 

1. The Holy Spirit has a name, as if a real 
person, Matthew xxviii. 19 : " Go — teach all 
nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." Thus he has a name just as the Fa- 
ther has, and we are baptized as fully in the 
name of the Spirit, as in that of the Father. 
There could be no propriety in baptizing first 
in the name of the Father, and then again, in 
the name of a mere quality of the Father. 
This would involve the utmost absurdity. 
The passage clearly conveys the idea of entire 
equality between the Father and the Holy Spir- 
it in point of personality. 

The Son gives the Spirit the name of Com- 
forter. John xiv. 26 : " But the Comforter, 
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all 
things." Could any suppose that the Savior 
meant in this case a mere quality of Deity? 
In what sense could such be called the Com- 
forter? It is most absurd to suppose that the 
Savior meant anything less than a real person. 
It is impossible that language should convey 
6 



62 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



more clearly the idea of real personality. He 
not only calls the Spirit the Comforter, but ap- 
plies to him the personal pronoun HE, and re- 
presents him as coming and teaching. Hence, 
the idea of real personality is forced upon the 
mind. 

2. The Holy Spirit and the Father are 
mentioned so distinctly at the same time, as to 
show that the one has as real personality as the 
other. Isaiah xlviiL 16 : " The Lord God and 
his Spirit hath sent me." This shows that the 
Father and the Spirit are two in personali- 
ty, else the passage must mean that the Lord 
God, and a mere quality, or part of himself, 
sent the Son ! Can any sane mind be so per- 
verted as to believe in such absurdity, as that 
the Lord God, and a quality of himself, sent 
the Son ? How ridiculous is such an idea ! 
and what folly does it charge upon the sacred 
oracles. The passage clearly proves that the 
Spirit is a real person, and not a mere quality 
in Deity. 

The same is evident from Matth. iii. 16, 17: 
" He saw the Spirit of God descending like a 
dove. And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, 
this is my beloved Son." Thus, while the 
Spirit descended, the Father spoke from Heav- 
en; hence, the Father and the Spirit acted at 
the same moment, as distinct intelligent agents, 
or persons, each performing his own part in 
the grand scene. How can any one doubt the 
real personality of the Spirit ? 



OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 63 

3. The Scriptures represent the Holy Spir- 
it as being vexed, grieved, and resisted. Isa* 
lxiii. 10: "But they vexed his holy Spirit." 
Eph. iv. 30: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of 
God." Acts vii. 51 : " Ye do always resist 
the Holy Ghost." Thus, as an intelligent 
agent, or person, the Holy Spirit is vexed, 
grieved and resisted. Real personal qualities 
and exercises are attributed to the Spirit, in a 
manner calculated to impel the belief that he is 
a real person. 

4. According to the sacred oracles, the Ho- 
ly Spirit speaks, commands, designates, ap- 
points and teaches as a person. Acts xiii. 2. 
4 : " The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Bar- 
nabas and Paul for the work whereunto I have 
called them." And " they being sent forth by 
the Holy Ghost, departed." Neh. ix. 20: 
"Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct 
them." Luke xii. 12: "The Holy Ghost 
shall teach you what you ought to say." John 
xiv. 26: " The Comforter, which is the Holy 
Ghost—shall teach you all things." How can 
any read these passages and deny that the 
Spirit is a real person 1 What but a person 
can speak, command, designate, appoint and 
teach ? These passages attribute to the Spirit 
personal qualities and exercises as fully as such 
are attributed to men. We may just as well 
deny that men are persons, as deny that the Spi- 
rit is a person. Men speak, command, desig- 
nate, appoint and teach, and so does the Spirit. 



64 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



5. The Scriptures teach that the Spirit is 
sent and comes as a person. Psalm civ. 30: 
" Thou sendest forth thy Spirit." John xiv. 
26 : " But the Comforter, which is the Holy 
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my 
name, he shall teach you all things." 2 
Chron. xv. 1 : " The Spirit of God came upon 
Azariah." John xv. 26: " But when the Com- 
forter is come, whom I will send from the Fa- 
ther, even the Spirit of truth, which proceed- 
eth from the Father." Can any one read these 
passages without feeling the impression that 
the Spirit is a real person ? He is sent as a 
person and comes as a person. Could such 
language be, in any sense, applicable to a mere 
quality in Deity ? 

6. The Spirit testifies as a person. Neh. 
ix. 3: " Thou testifldst against them by thy 
Spirit in thy prophets." John xv. 26 : " The 
Spirit of truth— shall testify of me." 1 John 
v. 6, 7: "It is the Spirit that beareth witness, 
because the Spirit is truth. For there are three 
that bear record in Heaven ; the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Ghost." Thus, the Spir- 
it is represented as an intelligent witness. We 
may just as well deny that the intelligent wit- 
nesses that appear in our courts of justice are 
persons, as to deny that the Spirit is a person. 

7. The Spirit judges and chooses as a per- 
son. Acts xv. 28: 44 It seemed good to the 
Holy Ghost, and to us." 1 Cor. xii. 11 : "All 
these things worketh the self-same Spirit, di- 



OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



65 



viding to every man as will." It seemed good 
to the Holy Ghost just as it did to the apostles. 
There is the same reason to believe that he is 
a person, as to believe that they were persons. 
He judged and made choice, and so did they. 
He works as a person, he divides as a person, 
and he wills as a person, and the personal pro- 
noun is applied to him as to every other person, 

A vast number of passages, besides those 
presented, might be introduced to prove the 
personality of the Spirit; but it is deemed use- 
less to offer more for the benefit of minds capa- 
ble of resisting evidence so clear as that already 
given. Such would not believe, though one 
should rise from the dead and declare it. The 
personality of the Spirit has been proved seven 
times over. Each one of the seven arguments 
introduced is alone sufficient to prove that the 
Holy Spirit is a real person. 

It is impossible that evidence should be clear- 
er than that presented. The Spirit has a name 
as a person. He and the Father are, at the 
same time, distinctly mentioned as persons. 
The Spirit is vexed, grieved, and resisted as a 
person. He speaks, commands, designates, 
appoints, and teaches as a person. He is sent 
and comes as a person. He testifies as a per- 
son. He judges and chooses as a person. 
What clearer evidence can there be that any 
being is a person. 

II. The Spirit possesses all divine perfec- 
tions, and, of course, is truly God, 
6* E 



66 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



1. The Spirit is eternal. Hebrews ix. 14: 
44 Christ— through the ETERNAL SPIRIT, 
offered himself without spot to God." Thus 
he is uncreated, without beginning, and with- 
out end, just as the Father is. It may as tru- 
ly be said of the Spirit as of the Father, " From 
everlasting to everlasting thou art God;" for 
nothing but God is eternal. The Spirit is eter- 
nal, and, therefore, the Spirit is God. 

2. The Spirit is omniscient. Isaiah xi. 2 : 
44 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, 
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the 
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of know- 
ledge and of the fear of the Lord." 1 Tim. iv. 
1 : "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that, 
in the latter times, some shall depart from the 
faith." 1 Peter i. 11: 44 Searching what, or 
what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ, 
which was in them, did signify, when it testifi- 
ed beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the 
glory that should follow." 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11 : 
44 The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even 
the deep things of God — the things of God 
knoweth no man but the Spirit of God." Ac- 
cording to these passages the Spirit possesses 
foreknowledge. He knows all that will come 
to pass. He knows all things, even the deep 
things of God. He knows whatever the Fa- 
ther knows; and, consequently, he is the om- 
niscient God as the Father is. 

3. The Spirit is omnipresent. Psal. cxxxix. 
7 : 44 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? or 



OF THE HOLY SPIRIT* 



67 



whither shall I flee from thy presence ?" It is 
as impossible to go from the presence of the 
Spirit as to flee from the presence of the Fa- 
ther; both are alike everywhere present, 1 
Cor. vi. 19: "Know ye not that your body is 
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in 
you ?" The Spirit, unless capable of being 
omnipresent, could not be in the bodies of all 
the saints at the same time. The fact that he 
dwells in the bodies of all the Lord's people, 
proves that he is every where present. Joel 
ii. 28: Acts ii. 17: "I will pour out my Spir- 
it upon all flesh." Tf the Spirit were not ca- 
pable of being omnipresent, he could not be 
poured out upon all flesh. The Spirit, then, 
is the omnipresent God. 

4. The Spirit is omnipotent. Job xxxiii. 
4 : w The Spirit of God hath made me." Job 
xxvi. 13: "By his Spirit he garnished the 
Heavens." Gen. i. 2: "The Spirit of God 
moved upon the face of the waters." Psalm 
civ. 30: "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they 
are created." These passages show that the 
Spirit is creator equally with the Father and 
the Son. He has power to create, and, conse- 
quently, must be omnipotent. He is called 
the Spirit of "might," Isaiah xi. 2: and it is 
asked, " Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?" 
That is, can his power be limited ? A prophet, 
speaking of the fact that God made but one wo- 
man for the first man, asks, " Did not -he make 
one? Yet had he the residue of the Spirit. 



68 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



And wherefore one?" Mai. i. 15. He had 
the* RESIDUE of the SPIRIT, — he could 
have made more than one, had he intended 
man to have more than one wife. This shows 
that the Spirit has creative power. When 
God had created the first woman, he still had 
the power of the Spirit to create more, if more 
had been necessary. Thus we have the most 
abundant evidence that the Spirit is omnipo- 
tent. 

5. The only sin unpardonable is that com- 
mitted against the Holy Ghost. Matth. xii. 
31, 32: "All manner of blasphemy shall be 
forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto 
men. And whosoever speaketh a word against 
the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but 
whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, 
it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this 
world, neither in the world to come." Every 
sin is aggravated in proportion to the excellen- 
cy of the character against which it is commit- 
ted. To blaspheme the infinitely excellent 
Spirit is unpardonable. To suppose that the 
only sin unpardonable is committed against 
any thing less than real Deity, is absurd in the 
extreme. A word spoken against the Son, be- 
cause he appeared in human nature, shall be 
forgiven; but to blaspheme the Holy Ghost, is 
to sin so directly against God, that it never 
shall be. forgiven. The fact, then, that blas- 
phemy against the. Holy Ghost is unpardona- 



OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



69 



ble, proves that he is truly God, and of terri- 
ble majesty. 

6. The Spirit is so associated with the Fa- 
ther and the Son in the formula of baptism, as 
to prove that whatever worship, honor, or ser- 
vice is due to the Father and Son, is due to the 
Spirit. In baptism we are alike consecrated to 
the service of the Father, Son, and Spirit. 
Hence, he is God equally with the Father and 
Son. 

7. Christians are born of God. John i. 13 : 
« Which were born, not of blood, nor of the 
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but 
of God." This God is the Spirit; for " ex- 
cept a man be born — of the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God." This proves 
that the Spirit is truly God. 

8. The Spirit is called God. Acts v. 3, 4 : 
" Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled 
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? — Thou 
hast not lied unto men, but unto God." Thus 
he is plainly called God, and that because he 
is truly God. 

The Spirit, then, is ETERNAL, OMNIS- 
CIENT, OMNIPRESENT ; the OMNIPO- 
TENT CREATOR ; of MAJESTY so TER- 
RIBLE, that to BLASPHEME HIM is SIN 
UNPARDONABLE; he is associated with 
the Father and Son as EQUALLY with 
THEM WORTHY of HONOR and SER- 
VICE ; he is GOD, of whom christians are 
born, and GOD, unto whom Ananias lied, and 



PERSONALITY AND DEITY 



for it was smitten dead. How can any look 
upon these facts as presented in the sacred ora- 
cles, and doubt the divinity of the Holy Spirit ! 
In all the sacred volume, there is not the least 
intimation given, that he is not truly God ; and 
in all the vast number of passages in which he 
is mentioned, there is evidence that he is a di- 
vine person. His work of regenerating and 
sanctifying fallen men, is such as none but God 
could do. It is ranked with the work of crea- 
tion. Eph. ii. 10 : " We are his workmanship, 
created in Christ Jesus unto good works." 
Every thing in the Scriptures, respecting the 
Holy Spirit, tends to prove that he is tru- 
ly God. And cold must be the heart that 
could desire him to be any thing less than the 
Almighty Jehovah. How interesting is the 
thought, that he who dwells in every real chris- 
tian, possesses all divine perfections, and is 
truly God ! How amazing is the condescen- 
sion of the Holy Spirit in coming to make our 
bodies his dwelling place ! He who dwells in 
us is Almighty, and able to guide us safely to 
Heaven. Christians should constantly live 
under the impression that the all-seeing God 
makes their bodies his temple. How ardent- 
ly should they love and revere the blessed 
Comforter, the Holy Spirit of truth; and how 
carefully should they avoid every thing that 
may tend to grieve him, and cause him to with- 
draw from them his favorable presence. And 
every one should tremble at the thought of be- 



DIVINE INFLUENCES, ETC. 71 

ing left to deny the personality and Deity of 
the Holy Spirit. How awfully dangerous is 
such perverseness ! How little short does it 
come of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost! 
It needs, but spring from malice of heart to 
consummate the unpardonable sin. A word 
spoken against the Holy Ghost shall never be 
forgiven. Let all, then, beware how they be- 
lieve and speak of the Holy Spirit. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ES- 
SENTIAL TO SALVATION. 

The doctrine of the personality and divinity 
of the Holy Spirit, is connected with the doc- 
trine of the necessity of divine influences to re- 
generate and sanctify fallen men, in order to 
capacitate them for the enjoyment of Heaven. 
The doctrine of regeneration and sanctiflcation 
depends on the personality and divinity of the 
Holy Spirit. Unless the spirit be a real and 
divine person, he cannot regenerate and sanc- 
tify men: hence the doctrine of regeneration 
and sanctiflcation, necessarily supposes the real 
personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit. 

The necessity of the operations of the Spirit 
to regenerate and sanctify men, originated in 
the apostasy of the first man. " God created 
man upright," that is, created him a holy be- 



72 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



ing, who needed no regenerating influences. 
Man was so constituted as to love God su- 
premely, and his creatures in proportion as 
they exhibited the divine character. Man's 
obligation to love God supremely was natural 
and perpetual. It originated in the facts, that 
God is infinitely lovely, and is man's creator 
and supporter. If he were not lovely there 
could be no natural obligation to love him. 
Love cannot be due to a being who has no love- 
liness ; and if God were not the creator and, of 
course, the proprietor of man, he would have no 
right to require man to love him. Consequent- 
ly, man's obligation originated in the infinite 
loveliness of God, and the relation he sustains 
to man as his creator and sustainer. Hence, 
the obligation of man to love God supremely is 
natural. It is also perpetual. If it be reason- 
able that man should this moment love God 
supremely because he is infinitely lovely and 
is his creator and sustainer, it is equally so 
the next, and so to endless eternity. God 
always will be infinitely lovely, and will al- 
ways be man's creator. Thus, the reasons of 
man's obligation to love God will for ever ex- 
ist. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with 
all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy 
neighbor as thyself," is a natural and perpetu- 
al obligation, resulting from God's loveliness 
and man's relation to him as his creature. The 
penalty annexed to this obligation is also natu- 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



n 



ral, and not arbitrary, as some suppose. Man 
was so constituted, as to be happy only in ful- 
filling this natural and perpetual obligation; 
and in a state of innocence it required no ef- 
fort to fulfill, it was as easy as it was natural. 
The violation of this obligation was, of course, 
a departure from happiness, and when once 
the departure is made, the tendency is to de- 
part farther and farther forever. Consequent- 
ly, the loss of happiness must be eternal, un- 
less man be brought back to God, the fountain 
of happiness. There is no tendency in sin to 
reform itself ; hence, unless God restore man, 
he will wander farther and farther from happi- 
ness during endless eternity, and necessarily 
must be eternally miserable. Thus, it is obvi- 
ous, that the penalty or threatening annexed to 
the divine law is natural and not arbitrary. It 
necessarily results from the relations that God 
has constituted, and is denounced against man 
to deter from crime, and secure obedience, and 
the consequent happiness of God's rational 
creatures. As man's happiness depended on 
obedience, it was proper that God should set 
before him the awful consequences of disobe- 
dience, and thus set up the strongest possible 
barrier against man's ruin. Hence, there was 
benevolence in denouncing this awful penalty, 
or threatening against man, and justice requires 
it3 execution upon the guilty. 

Adam, the parent of our race, was placed 
under this natural and perpetual obligation. 
7 



74 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



He came holy and happy from the hand of his 
creator, but the perpetuity of his happiness de- 
pended on his continuing to love God accord- 
ing to this natural obligation. The violation 
of it must necessarily result in the loss of holi- 
ness and happiness, and unless reclaimed the 
loss must be eternal. If he be eternally sinful 
he must be eternally miserable. Sin being a 
departure from God, foe source of happiness 
must necessarily result m misery, and as there 
is no tendency in a sinner to reform himself, if 
let alone, he will be eternally a sinner, and, of 
course, must be eternally miserable. The com- 
mand given to Adam, was founded upon his 
natural obligation to love God supremely ; con- 
sequently, the violation of the command was 
a violation of his natural obligation, and, of 
course, brought upon him the natural penalty 
of that obligation, the loss of holiness and hap- 
piness, and consequent misery. He necessa- 
rily experienced the reverse of the holy and 
happy state in which he was placed, except so 
far as the interposition of a Saviour prevented. 
The plan of salvation was devised before he 
fell, else, probably, he would have fallen, at 
once, into hell, as did the fallen angels. "In 
the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely 
die," was, doubtless, a simple denunciation of 
the natural penalty of violating man's natural 
obligation. It was the necessary result of de- 
parting from God, the fountain of happiness. 
In the very day that Adam eat the forbidden 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 75 



fruit, he became a sinful and miserable crea- 
ture, and hid himself from the Lord, whom he 
had, in his original state, loved most ardently. 
He also became liable to temporal death, and 
eternal misery beyond the grave. All these 
resulted from his disobedience, and, therefore, 
there is reason to believe that they all were in- 
cluded in the threatening, "thou shalt surely 
die." 

The idea that mere temporal death was the 
penalty, has no foundation. It is against facts. 
To die does not always, in the Scriptures, mean 
departure out of this life — 44 The soul that sin- 
neth, it shall die." This cannot mean a cessa- 
tion of existence, but that it shall lose happiness, 
that which makes being desirable. 44 He that 
believeth not the Son shall not see life." This 
does not mean that he shall not exist, but that 
he shall not enjoy the happiness that renders 
existence an object of desire. 44 To be carnal- 
ly minded is death." Death is attended with 
suffering and life with enjoyment: hence, death 
is, in Scripture, often used as a term to desig- 
nate misery, and life to designate happiness ; 
to die is to become miserable, and to live is to 
become happy : hence, the threatening, 44 thou 
shalt surely die," doubtless included all the 
misery to which Adam became liable by diso- 
bedience. 

The notion of some, that in eating the for- 
bidden fruit, Adam violated the physical laws 
of his nature, and by it produced a derangement 



76 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



of his bodily appetites and passions so as to 
corrupt his soul, and also to convey the same 
derangement and consequent corruption to all 
his posterity, is unreasonable in the extreme. 
It supposes that a single violation of the phys- 
ical laws of Adam's nature, by eating a little 
fruit, produced a permanent and hereditary 
disease in a constitution unbroken by the rava- 
ges of sinful excesses, and one which supported 
natural life for near a thousand years. That a 
single excess should not have been overcome 
by such a constitution, is incredible ; and much 
less is it credible that it should have formed a 
hereditary disease descending to all his vast 
posterity. And, that the body, mere organized 
matter, the passive instrument of the soul, 
should corrupt the soul, seems beyond the be- 
lief of a sane mind ; the man capable of believ- 
ing it must be under some mental disease. 
For such a notion there is no foundation, either 
in Scripture or reason. The soul controls the 
body, and not the body the soul. The cor- 
ruption of our nature is not the result of any 
bodily disease in Adam, but the result of his 
sinning as the acting head of our race. With 
him God established a covenant, so including 
his posterity, that they all sinned in him as 
their acting head. 

The term covenant, as used in Scripture, 
is applicable to a contract made between two 
parties, because such contract is a plan or or- 
der of action between the parties. A will is 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 77 



a covenant, because an order or law according 
to which executors and heirs are bound to act. 
Any law or rule which God imposes upon men 
by his authority, is a covenant. The ten com- 
mandments are a covenant. Exod. xxxiv. 28 : 
44 And he wrote upon the tables the words of 
the covenant, the ten commandments." God 
made a covenant with Noah, his seed after 
him, and all the beasts of the earth and the 
fowls of heaven, Gen. ix. 9, 10. This cove- 
nant was a plan of dealing with Noah, his 
seed, and all animal creation. Any order, 
then, which God lays down, according to 
which he will treat his creatures, is a covenant 
without regard to their consent. Hence, he 
calls the putting of his laws into the minds of 
his people, and writing them upon their hearts, 
a covenant, Jer. xxxi. 33. 

That God did give Adam a law or rule of 
action, cannot be denied ; for " the Lord com- 
manded the man, saying, of every tree of the 
garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt 
not eat of it; for in the day thou eatest there- 
of, thou shalt surely die." Gen. ii. 18, 17. 

This law was an order laid down according 
to which God did treat Adam, and therefore, 
was a covenant. The Greek word diatheke, 
translated covenant, signifies disposition or or- 
der; that is, it is a thing placed in order. 
Hence, any rule of action is a covenant. 
There was, then, a covenant made with Adam, 
7* 



78 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



and fact proves that it embraced his posterity ; 
for they are treated just as if they had broken 
it themselves. 

All mankind descending from Adam "by or- 
dinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with 
him in his first transgression." This to some 
appears to be very absurd, and to convey no 
intelligible idea, and yet a careful examination 
will show it is strictly true. It must be admit- 
ted that Adam was the natural head of the 
whole race. . He was made the fountain from 
which every human being was to descend. 
He and all his descendants constituted but one 
body, of which he was the acting head. In 
him, as the acting head, the entire body sin- 
ned when he partook of the forbidden fruit. 
By this I mean that his act was the act of 
the body. Consequently, the body was held 
responsible for the act of the head. Each 
member was equally with the head involved 
in condemnation. Paul asserted the principle 
here involved when he said that Levi payed 
tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the 
loins of his father when Melchisedec met him. 
Heb. viL 9, 10. Abraham, as a father, was 
the representative of his race, so far as they 
were in his loins when he paid tithes to Mel- 
chisedec. What he did, the race did that 
afterwards descended from him. Levi paid 
tithes, not by his own personal act, but by 
Abraham, his acting head. All mankind de- 
scending from x\dam, by ordinary generation. 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



79 



were in his loins when he committed his first 
transgression, and consequently, sinned in him 
as their acting head, as Levi paid tithes through 
Abraham, his acting head. The act of Adam 
was the act of the body, and was imputed to him 
and all that were in his loins ; that is, it was 
charged upon the entire body. It was account- 
ed to each member of the body for condemna- 
tion as fully as to the head. " By one man's 
disobedience many were made sinners." And 
by the offence of one, judgment came upon 
all men to condemnation, Rom. v. 18. Ad- 
am's disobedience made all his race sinners. 
By a single act he brought condemnation upon 
the whole family of man. 

The theory just presented is a fair induction 
from facts. It is an undeniable fact that every 
human being is born into the world with such 
a liability to sin, that no one has ever escaped 
sinning, so soon as capable. This liability to 
sin, is the worst of all judgments ever inflicted. 
It is the source of all sin and suffering. Now, 
can we suppose such a liability to sin without 
some previous cause? Why this etnire cor- 
ruption of nature ? Why all this fatal tenden- 
cy to sin, if the act of the head be not account- 
ed to the members ? If this liability to sin was 
not contained in the threatening denounced 
against Adam, then more was inflicted than 
truth and justice required. The moral condi- 
tion of every child born into the w T orld, is just 
as bad as was that of Adam after he fell. Ev- 



80 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



ery one has with him the same corruption of 
nature or sinful tendency — is equally a fallen 
creature, and just as liable to endless suffering 
in a future world. The condition of every one 
is just as if he had violated the command for 
himself. All that was threatened against Ad- 
am did fall equally upon his posterity. Fact 
proves that they did fall with him in his first 
transgression — they are fallen. 

If all fell with him, is it reasonable to believe 
that all sinned in him as their acting head, else 
why should they be involved in the ruins of 
his fall? It is expressly declared in Scripture 
that "the wages of sin is death;" and that 
44 by one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin, and so death passed upon men, 
for that all have sinned." Now we know that 
human beings die in every stage of existence. 
Thousands die before being capable of moral 
action, and yet death is to them the wages of 
sin, and passes upon them because they have 
sinned. It must, then, have been in Adam, as 
their acting head, not in their own persons. 
44 Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even 
over them that had not sinned after the simili- 
tude of Adam's transgression." Rom. v. 14. 
They had sinned, but not actively, as Adam 
did, but through his action as their head. 

It is asserted that 44 in Adam all die." 1 Cor. 
xv. 22. Now, death is the wages of sin: if all 
die in Adam, all must have sinned in him ; for 
their dying in him must be the wages of their 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



81 



sinning in him. " Death passed upon all men, 
for that all have sinned," that is, because all 
have sinned. 

Adam was " the figure of him that was to 
come." Rom. v. 14. That is, he was a type 
of Christ. He was the head of a great body- 
as Christ is ; he was the first man — Christ is 
the second man. The first man, Adam, was 
made a living soul, the last Adam was made 
a quickening Spirit, I Cor. xv. 45. This 
shows that Adam and Christ were alike public 
heads. Adam's members are by union with 
him made sinners ; Christ's members by union 
with him are made righteous. " For as by one 
man's disobedience many were made sinners, 
so by the obedience of one many shall be made 
righteous." Rom. v. 19. 

Adam's disobedience is charged upon his 
body, as well as upon himself. By it he him- 
self and all his members are condemned. The 
one unrighteousness covers the entire body. 
Christ's obedience is charged upon himself and 
members. The one righteousness covers the 
entire body. Christ's is accounted to his mem- 
bers for justification, as fully as if they had 
wrought it out themselves. They are treated 
just as if they had fulfilled for themselves the 
demands of the broken law. The one right- 
eousness justifies the whole. It is not taken 
from the head and put upon the members, but 
the members are united to the head and made 
one with him, so that one righteousness justi- 
F 



82 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



fies the entire body. Christ is " of God-made 
unto us — righteousness." "Even as David 
also describeth the blessedness of the man, 
unto whom God imputeth righteousness with- 
out works." 1 Cor. i. 30. Rom. iv. 6. The 
unrighteousness of Adam is charged upon him- 
self and all his members for condemnation. It 
is as fully accounted to his members, as if they 
had violated the command in their own per- 
sons. They are treated just as if they had 
eaten the forbidden fruit ; the one unrighteous- 
ness covers and condemns alike Adam and his 
members. " As in Adam all (his members) 
die, even so in Christ, shall all (his mem- 
bers) be made alive." "But every man in 
his own order ; Christ the first fruits ; after- 
wards they that are Christ's at his coming." 
1 Cor. xv. 22, 23. None but Christ's are 
made alive in him ; for none others are in him. 
The comparison is between the two bodies. 
Adam represents the one and Christ the other. 
We were-made sinners in Adam ; we are made 
righteous in Christ. From Adam we inherit an 
unrighteousness that condemns us, and a cor- 
ruption of nature that disqualifies us for heaven 
and fits us for hell. From Christ we inherit a 
righteousness, by which we are justified, and 
a renovation of nature, that disqualifies us for 
hell and fits us for heaven. Our first birth is 
unto Adam, and under his disobedience or un- 
righteousness, and in a state of spiritual cor- 
ruption. Hence, to be saved we must be born 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



83 



again a second time, unto Christ and under his 
righteousness. 

The disobedience of Adam, is the original 
ground of condemnation, and all actual sins are 
but aggravations of it. It is in Adam that all 
die, and not in themselves : they die as parts 
of the body that sinned in him, as the acting 
head. This is evidently the view presented 
in the fifth of Romans : 44 By one man sin en- 
tered into the world, and death passed upon all 
men, for that all have sinned." Death pass- 
ed upon all men in Adam ; in him all die, 
for that, or because all men sinned in him, for 
death is the wages of sin. The one sin of the 
body, through the acting head, brought death 
upon the whole ; and from Adam to Moses it 
reigned even over those who had not sinned in 
person actively as Adam did. They 44 had not 
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgres- 
sion." 44 But not as the offence, so also is the 
free gift. For if through the offence of one, 
many be dead, much more the grace of God, 
and the gift by grace, loliich is by one man, 
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And 
not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift, 
for the judgment was by one (offence) to con- 
demnation, but the free gift is of many offences 
unto justification. For if by one man's offence 
death reigned by one, much more they which 
receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of 
righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus 
Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one 



84 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



judgment came upon all men to condemna- 
tion, even so by the righteousness of one the 
free gift came upon all men unto justification 
of life. For as by one man's disobedience 
many were made sinners, so by the obedience 
of one shall many be made righteous." Rom. 
v. 12. 15. 19. By Adam sin entered into the 
world, and death by sin. Death passed upon 
all men because all have sinned. By Adam's 
offence many are dead. Judgment was by his 
one offence to condemnation. By this one 
man's offence death reigned. By his one of- 
fence judgment came upon all men to condem- 
nation, because by his disobedience they were 
all made, or constituted, sinners. Thus, it is 
as evident as truth can be, that the offence of 
Adam condemned his entire race, and made 
them sinners, and consequently, is the original 
ground of condemnation. By him, as the act- 
ing head, the entire body sinned, else they 
were condemned while innocent. They were 
condemned by one act of disobedience, and by 
it were made sinners. The stubborn fact is 
firmly asserted by the unerring voice of the 
Holy Ghost. It is written in the deepest recess 
of our nature, and inscribed upon every tomb. 
The earth is but a common grave-yard. No 
explanation can change the facts. They stand 
prominent and firm as the deep seated rock 
amidst the mists and dashing waves of the 
mighty ocean. All sinned in Adam, and fell 
with him in his first transgression. 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



Some object to the truth just presented be- 
cause they suppose it involves the doctrine 
that infants dying in infancy, perish forever. 
There is no ground for this objection. The 
Lord is able to regenerate and save all the in- 
fants he is pleased to remove to eternity before 
they become capable of hearing the gospel. If 
infants dying in infancy are not regenerated 
and saved through Christ, they can never unite 
with their mothers in the song of redeeming 
love. The confession of faith teaches us, that 
" elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenera- 
ted and saved by Christ, through the Spirit." 
All infants are not elected, for some grow up 
to maturity and die in their sins ; but all infants 
dying in infancy may be elected and saved. 
The confession of faith, then, does not teach, 
as some suppose, that infants dying in infancy 
perish. The doctrine, then, that all sinned in 
Adam, and fell with him in his first transgres- 
sion, does not necessarily suppose tbat infants 
dying in infancy are lost. I now proceed to 
show, that the divine plan of dealing with Ad- 
am and his posterity, was just and benevolent. 

1. The fact that the Lord adopted this plan is 
proof of this. Surely the judge of all the earth 
will do right. With this I might dismiss the 
subject; but it is proper to exhibit, so far as 
practicable, the righteousness of the Divine 
conduct, towards his creatures. Hence, I re- 
mark, that it is generally admitted that bodies 
of people, may be justly held responsible for 
8 



86 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



the deeds of their representatives. Adam was 
the proper representative of his posterity. It 
may be objected that we did not choose him to 
be our representative. But is not the right of 
election founded upon the fact, that men are 
imperfect? Therefore it is important to have 
the privilege of selecting the best. But if all 
were perfect, no one would claim the right of 
election, there would be no ground for choice. 
Infinite wisdom selected Adam as our represen- 
tative, consequently, we suffered no loss by 
not choosing for ourselves. 

2. If Adam had continued in his holy and 
happy state, and confirmed his posterity in it, 
would not all have justified the divine arrange- 
ment? Would any have complained of injus- 
tice on the ground that they did not choose 
Adam as their representative? If we would 
gladly receive the good resulting from such 
an arrangement, why not submit to the evil? 

3. The trial was short and easy. It is rea- 
sonable to believe that the trial would have ter- 
minated with the birth of the first child, had 
Adam held to his integrity. After that all 
could not have died in him, and, of course, 
there is reason to believe that there the trial 
would have terminated, and that all would 
have been confirmed in holiness and happi- 
ness. 

The trial was the easiest of which we can 
conceive. Nothing was required but absti- 
nence from the fruit of a single tree, amidst 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



87 



abounding plenty of the choicest fruits earth 
ever yielded. The trial was so easy, and the 
motives to obedience so powerful, that it is dif- 
ficult to see how the plan could miscarry. It 
is amazing that Adam, a perfect being, should 
have fallen under circumstances so favorable to 
his standing. 

4. Adam was as holy as any of his posteri- 
ty could have been, and he had more to incline 
him to obedience than any other could have 
had. He had a more numerous posterity de- 
pending on his obedience than any other. 
Consequently, he was more likely to stand 
than any one else. Had all his posterity, one 
by one, passed the same trial, all doubtless 
would have fallen. No one of them could 
have been more holy than Adam, and no one 
could have had so much to incline him to obe- 
dience. Hence, all must have fallen under the 
same trial ; consequently, no wrong is done the 
race by making one the test by which the state 
of all should be determined. 

5. If we had not fallen in a representative, 
there would have been no ground for restoring 
us in a representative. If there had not been 
a first Adam, there could not have been a se- 
cond Adam. It does not appear that there 
would have been any room for the plan of sal- 
vation. As the plan of salvation was devised 
before the fall, there is reason to believe that 
the whole arrangement with Adam was made 
to suit it so that we might be redeemed through 



88 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



Jesus Christ. Thus, it appears that God's 
plan of dealing with Adam and his posterity is 
both just and benevolent. 

From what has been said, it is evident that 
the necessity of the regenerating and sanctify- 
ing operations of the Holy Spirit originated in 
the apostasy of the first man. Since the fall 
all mere human beings are by nature totally de- 
praved. By this it is not meant that depravi- 
ty has become a part of the soul, but that the 
soul is entirely corrupted ; that all its powers 
and passions have become so inordinate that 
the entire tendency is only, and continually, 
to evil. It is not meant that the soul is so bad 
as lost spirits in perdition, or so bad as it can 
be — "evil men and seducers wax worse and 
worse," but that it is entirely destitute of holi- 
ness. There is in it no love to God, it has no 
relish for the divine character. Nor is it in- 
tended to deny that unrenewed men do many 
things good in themselves, but it is denied that 
they do any thing out of pure love to God. 

When it is said that all mere human beings 
are, by nature, totally depraved, it is meant 
that they are all born destitute of love to God, 
and with an entire inclination to evil. This is 
confirmed by fact. Every infant does sin so 
soon as capable. We see evil tendencies in 
the very first manifestations of rational exer- 
cise. To suppose that every human being 
falls into sin so soon as capable, with infallible 
certainty, without any previous inclination or 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 89 

bias, is an absurdity. It is to suppose an ef- 
fect without a cause. It is sometimes said in- 
fants are born without character. If by cha- 
racter, is meant that which is formed by a suc- 
cession of rational acts, no one ever contended 
that infants are born with such character ; but 
if it be meant that they are born without sinful 
propensities, it is not true. It is contrary to 
positive facts. If God be infinitely lovely, 
is it not more easy to love him than to hate 
him? 

► If, then, there were no depravity in the soul 
of an infant, would it not naturally love that 
which is infinitely lovely? If infants were 
perfectly pure, they would love God as nat- 
urally as water flows down hill : they would 
all love holiness and hate sin. But they all 
sin as naturally as they inhale the atmosphere. 
This is decisive evidence that they are born in 
a state of total depravity. Hence, David said, 
" Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, 
and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknow- 
ledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever be- 
fore me. Against thee, and thee only, have I 
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. — Be- 
hold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did 
my mother conceive me." Psal. li. 2 — 5. The 
connexion shows, that David is here confess- 
ing his own sin and depravity, and not the sin 
and depravity of his mother, as some absurdly 
suppose. He openly confesses his sin, and 
attributes it to the depravity of his nature. 
8* 



90 



DIVINE INFLUENCES 



His very existence commenced in sin; he 
came into being with a depraved nature. 

Paul declares, " We have proved both Jews 
and Gentiles that they are all under sin ; as it 
is written, there is none righteous, no not one : 
there is none that imderstandeth, there is none 
that seeketh after God. They are all gone out 
of the way, they are together become unprofit- 
able : there is none that doeth good, no, not 
one. Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with 
their tongues they have used deceit ; the pois- 
on of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is 
full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are 
swift to shed blood ; destruction and misery are 
in their ways, and the way of peace have they 
not known. There is no fear of God before 
their eyes." Eom. iii. 9 — 18. Such is the lan- 
guage in which an inspired apostle portrays 
the depravity of all men, both Jews and Gen- 
tiles. They have all gone out of the original 
way, in which man was created to go. Such 
is the moral pollution of their hearts, that their 
throats, through which this pollution is vented, 
are, in a moral sense, offensive as an open se- 
pulchre is in a natural sense. It is impossible 
that moral pollution could be depicted in strong- 
er language. The deadly poison of asps is 
under their lips ; their mouth is full of cursing 
and bitterness ; there is no fear of God before 
their eyes. Such is the testimony of the un- 
erring Spirit of God. There is no filial fear 
of God in the heart of man in his unrenewed 



ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION. 



91 



state, consequently, no holiness ; but he is as a 
sepulchre full of loathsome pollution. " Every 
imagination of the thoughts of his heart, is only 
evil continually." Gen. vi. 5. 44 Their inward 
part is very wickedness." Psal. v. 9. 44 The 
heart of the sons of men, is fully set in them 
to do evil." Eccl. viii. 11. 44 The heart is de- 
ceitful above all things, and desperately wick- 
ed; who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9. 44 Out 
of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts, murders, 
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, 
blasphemies." Matt. xv. 19. 44 The carnal 
mind is enmity against, for it is not subject to 
the law of God; neither indeed can be." Rom. 
viii. 7. These, and many other passages that 
might be presented, show that man's depravity 
is total. So entire is his depravity, that he 
has not of himself the least tendency to forsake 
his sin and turn to God. Hence, he is said to 
be 44 dead in trespasses and sins." He has no 
more tendency to holiness, than a dead body 
has to perform the functions of life. If let 
alone, he will as certainly remain in his sin, 
as a dead body let alone will lie in the grave. 
Hence, nothing short of divine power, can 
raise him from spiritual death to spirtual life. 

The necessity, then, of the operations of the 
Spirit, originated in the apostasy of the first 
man, and is perpetuated by man's entire and 
continued depravity. 44 Except a man be born 
again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 
How deplorable and helpless is man in his fall- 



92 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



en state ! So deeply is he sunk in ruin, as not to 
desire relief! Stupid and degraded, the terrors 
of hell cannot deter from crime, nor the hope 
of heaven incline him to the paths of holiness. 
The tears, and blood, and groans, and dying ag- 
onies of a Savior, cannot move him from his 
purpose of rebellion against infinite excellence. 

How boundless is the goodness of God, in 
not only giving his Son to die for us, but also 
in sending his Almighty Spirit to create " us 
in Christ Jesus unto good works !" How 
deeply should we humble ourselves in view of 
the pollutions of our nature ! and O how great 
is our debt of gratitude to the Father, Son, and 
Spirit, for the wonderful plan of salvation ! 
How constantly and affectionately should we 
seek and cherish the influences of the blessed 
Spirit, who alone can seal us unto the day of 
redemption ! 

Glory unspeakable be to the Father, Son, 
and Spirit, three persons, and yet one ever- 
lasting Jehovah, for ever and ever. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE COM- 
MON AND SPECIAL. 

It has been shown, that all men by nature 
are depraved — that all are alike destitute of ho- 
liness. In this respect U as in water, face an- 



COMMOiV AND SPECIAL* 



93 



swers to face, so the heart of man to man." 
Prov. xxvii. 19. No good reason can be given 
why all human beings are not, according to 
their capacities, so desperate in wickedness, as 
fallen spirits in despair, unless it be that they 
are placed under a dispensation of grace, and 
restrained by the influences of the Holy Spirit. 
We know there are some instances of individ- 
uals becoming, to appearance at least, as des- 
perate as spirits in perdition. Some blas- 
pheme God, to the extent of their powers, and 
even destroy themselves. Now, as all hearts 
are equally destitute of holiness, there can be 
no reason why one man is better than another, 
unless it be that he is made so by the opera- 
tions of the Spirit. " Who maketh thee to 
differ from another? and what hast thou that 
thou didst not recieve?" 1 Cor. iv. 7. One 
of two things must be inevitably true : either, 
that one man is by creation better than anoth- 
er, or, that he is made so by the influences of 
the Spirit. The fact exists, some men are bet- 
ter than others, and it must be either by crea- 
tion or by grace. Paul, speaking of himself 
and others, declares they 44 were by nature 
children of wrath, even as others." Eph. ii. 3. 
All, then, by nature are children of wrath alike ; 
hence the difference is by grace. By the com- 
mon operations of the Spirit, are meant those 
general and restraining influences, which are 
forced upon mankind in general, to preserve 
them from absolute desperation in wretched- 



94 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



ness, and enable them to live together in so- 
ciety, and fit them for enjoying the common 
means of grace. It is said, Psal. lxxvi. 10 : 
" Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee ; 
the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." 
This shows clearly, that men would be worse 
than they are, if God did not restrain them. 
The wrath that would be beyond fulfilling 
God's purposes, were men left to themselves, 
the Lord restrains. How does he restrain it 
but by the operations of his Spirit? When, 
before the flood, the earth was filled with vio- 
lence, " the Lord said, My Spirit shall not al- 
ways strive with man, — yet his days shall be a 
hundred and twenty years." Gen. vi. 3. His 
Spirit would not always strive with man, but 
he would strive with him a hundred and twen- 
ty years longer, that is, to the time of the del- 
uge. 

Some believe, that the Spirit never strives 
with sinners by operating upon their hearts, 
but that he operates only upon christians to 
cause them to strive with sinners, and that the 
Holy Ghost is resisted by resisting those in 
whom he dwells. While it is admitted the re- 
sisting the truth preached, of which he is the 
author, is in one sense resisting the Spirit, yet 
it is not the only sense in which he is resist- 
ed. The Savior, speaking of the Spirit, said, 
" When he is come, he will reprove the world 
of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." 
John xvi. 8. This certainly conveys the idea, 



COMMON AND SPECIAL* 



95 



that the Spirit will operate directly upon the 
world. But it may be replied that it is ex- 
pressly said, that the world cannot receive him, 
"because it seeth him not, neither knoweth 
him." But this means that the world cannot 
receive him as a comforter. He shall reprove 
not comfort the world. The world does not 
receive, but resist and reject him. His opera- 
tions are forced upon sinners, he strives with 
them, while they know him not, and in their 
blindness, they resist and reject his influences. 
Regenerated persons receive the Spirit; he 
dwells permanently in them, and they cherish 
and value his operations. " I will pray the 
Father, and he will send you another comfort- 
er, that he may abide with you forever ; even 
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot re- 
ceive, because it seeth him not, neither know- 
eth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth 
with you, and shall be in you." John xiv. W 9 
17. The passage shows that the disciples, 
who knew the Spirit, and in whom he then 
dwelt, had not received him in the sense in 
which they were to receive him, as the com- 
forter ; but the disciples had received him in 
another sense, for he was actually in them. 
The passage, then, proves nothing more than 
that the world cannot receive the Spirit as the 
comforter. It is admitted that there is a sense 
in which christains receive the Spirit, and in 
which the world does not receive him. He 
makes the bodies of christains his perpetual 



96 



SFIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



dwelling place, and they delightfully yield to 
his influences. To the world he is an unwel- 
come visitant; in the bodies of sinners he has 
no permanent dwelling place— they vex, re- 
sist, and grieve him away. He again and again 
repeats his unwelcome visits, until the sinner 
is either made to yield, or is finally given up 
to destruction. That the Spirit does operate 
directly upon the hearts of sinners, previous to 
their being regenerated, is evident from the 
fact, that regeneration is effected by his agen- 
cy. John i. 12, 13 : "But as many as receiv- 
ed him, to them gave he power to become the 
sons of God, even to them that believe on his 
name : which were born, not of blood, nor of 
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God." They WERE BORN, when I 
evidently before they received Christ. " He 
came to his own, (territories) and his own 
(people) received him not." But as many of 
them as received him, did it because they were 
born of God. The mass of the people reject- 
ed him ; all would have done it had not some 
been "born of God." Such received Christ, 
believed on him, and were adopted as his chil- I 
dren. Thus he gave them the power, or priv- \ 
ilege, of becoming the sons of God. Receiv- 
ing Christ, believing on him, and receiving 
power to become the sons of God, were the | 
results of being born of God. The difference 
between them and others, originated, not in the- 
fact that they were of better blood than others, 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 97 

or that they had less fleshly corruption, or that 
they were disposed to make a better use of 
free agency and exercise the power of their 
own wills in choosing Christ, but in the fact, 
that they were born "of God." Their blood, 
their will of the flesh, and their will of man, 
were all, like those of others, opposed to re- 
ceiving Christ. The evangelist, in the strong- 
est language possible, attributes their being 
born to God alone. Whatever instrumentali- 
ties there may have been, God was the entire 
agent in producing the new birth. In accor- 
dance with this, is the declaration, "If any be 
in Christ, he is a new CREATURE." 2 Cor. 
v. 17. This implies a new creation. It can 
be said of every one in Christ, that he has 
been created anew, and this is the reason why 
he is in Christ — " For we are his workman- 
ship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." 
Eph. ii. 10. It is God that works in chris- 
tians "both to WILL and to DO of his good 
pleasure." Phil. ii. 12. If christians need the 
positive agency of God, to enable them to will 
and to do of his good pleasure, how much more 
is it needed by the unrenewed sinner ? The 
passages presented do prove, beyond the pos- 
sibility of reasonable doubt, that God does ex- 
ercise a positive agency in producing the new 
birth. Other passages show, that the Spirit is 
the God who does exercise this agency. John 
iii. 5, 6 : " Except a man be born of water, 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the king- 
9 G 



98 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



dom of God. That which is born of the flesh, 
is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit, 
is Spirit." Tit. iii. 5. " Not by works of 
righteousness which we have done, but accord- 
ing to his mercy, he saved us — by the washing 
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy 
Ghost." It is the Spirit that renews men, and 
consequently, he does operate upon men in 
their unrenewed state. He does " reprove the 
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment," by operating upon the hearts of those 
who obey not the gospel. Those operations, 
which extend to men in general, are called 
common, because they extend, in some degree, 
to all mankind in the present life— but not to 
all in an equal degree. Such operations are 
the gift of God, forced upon men, as rain from 
heaven. God forces rain upon men whether 
they are willing to receive it or not, and he 
sends just so much or so little, as he pleases. 
Even so, he pours out his Spirit upon men, 
whether they will receive or reject him, and 
he pours upon each one so much or so little, 
as he pleases ; and he is not under any more 
obligation to pour his Spirit upon any, than he 
is to send rain from heaven. Men deserve 
nothing but wrath at the hand of God. 

The doctrine, then, that the Spirit never op- 
erates directly upon the hearts of unrenewed 
men, but merely through christians who have 
the Spirit, is not true. It has no foundation 
in the Scriptures. 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 



90 



By the special operations of the Spirit, are 
meant those by which the hearts of men are re- 
newed. Although there are operations com- 
mon to all mankind, yet it is true, that God 
does not regenerate the hearts of all. It is a 
fact that some live and die without being re- 
newed. Hence, those that are regenerated re- 
ceive special operations, which are not experi- 
enced by others. The preaching of the gos- 
pel and the common operations of the Spirit, 
are calls to repentance ; but the special opera- 
tions of the Spirit are an effectual call. Paul 
preached " Christ crucified unto the Jews a 
stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolish- 
ness, but unto them which are called, both 
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, 
and wisdom of God." 1 Corinth, i. 23, 24. 
Preaching Christ crucified was a call, and, 
hence, all the Jews and Greeks who heard the 
gospel were called ; but this call was to the one 
a stumbling block, and to the other foolishness, 
but to both the Jews and Greeks, who were 
called by the special operations of the Spirit, 
Christ was the power of God, and the wisdom 
of God. It is owing to the special influences 
of the Spirit, that any obey the gospel. Such 
is the depravity of human nature, that every 
individual resists both the gospel and the in- 
fluences of the Spirit, until overcome by the 
power of God. By the power of the Holy 
Ghost the heart is renewed, and then, he 
that was the enemy of God, becomes his 



100 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



friend, and willingly strives to obey his will. 
Various terms are used in Scripture to des- 
ignate the change effected by the special oper- 
ations of the Spirit. The individual changed, 
is said to be begotten, because it is to him the 
beginning of new life. " Of his own will be- 
gat he us with the word of truth." He is said 
to be 44 gotten again," in reference to the cause 
of his natural existence. To be regenerated, 
is to be generated again, or a second time. It 
is to have a second cause and commencement 
of existence. The sinner changed, passes out 
of one state into another ; hence, he is said to 
"be born again." As he receives a new na- 
ture he is said to be 44 created in Christ Jesus 
unto good works." Thus the terms begat, be- 
gotten again, or regeneration, born again, crea- 
ted in Christ Jesus, have distinct meanings, 
but they all refer to one great change effected 
by the power of the Holy Ghost. And they 
imply that it is a real and permanent change. 

Some controversy exists in relation to the 
fact, whether a sinner is active or passive in 
this important change. This controversy has 
probably arisen from different persons taking 
different views on the subject. There is a 
sense in which the sinner is entirely passive, 
and another in which he is entirely active. 
The terms begat, begotten, begotten again, re- 
generation, born again, and created, clearly im- 
ply that the sinner is passive, in respect to all 
that they express. He is passive in the recep- 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 101 

tion of the Spirit's operation ; but this operation 
produces in the heart of the sinner living exer- 
cises. He is never more active than being 
born again. He believes, repents, and turns 
to the Lord with full purpose of obeying the 
gospel. The production of spiritual life makes 
the sinner exceedingly active. There is a 
sense, then, in which the sinner is entirely 
passive in the new birth, and another in which 
he is entirely active. One class look at the 
agency of the Spirit in renewing sinners, with- 
out recognising their exercises in believing, re- 
penting, and turning to the Lord, and declare 
that these are passive in regeneration. Another 
class look at the exercises of sinners, under the 
renewing operations of the Spirit, and declare 
that they are active in regeneration. These 
declarations respect different facts. Both are 
true, but neither of them is the whole truth. 
In respect to divine agency, sinners are pas- 
sive, but under the influence of that agency 
they are active. 

Some believe that water baptism and regen- 
eration are the same thing; but for this there 
is no foundation in the Scriptures. It is true, 
that cleansing with water and cleansing with 
the Spirit are both baptism, but yet they are 
essentially different. The one is the baptism 
of the body with water, the other the baptism 
of the soul with the Holy Ghost. The one is 
the mere putting away the filth of the flesh, 
the other is the putting away the filth of the 
9* 



102 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



soul. The one is a mere external symbol, the 
other an internal reality. The forerunner of the 
Savior said, " I indeed baptize you with wa- 
ter, but — he shall baptize you with the Holy 
Ghost." Water baptism is performed by man, 
spiritual baptism by Christ. The distinction 
between water baptism and regeneration, is 
just as clear as language can make it. Hence, 
it seems scarcely possible that any one, who 
reads the Bible, can believe them to be the 
same thing. 

There are those who believe, that regenera- 
tion is a change effected merely by the word. 
This doctrine is the necessary result of denying 
the real personality and divinity of the Holy 
Ghost. If there be no divine agent to perform 
the work of regeneration, then it follows, that 
if any change takes place in men, it must be 
by the word alone. None who believe in the 
personality and divinity of the Spirit, will ad- 
vocate such a doctrine. And while persons 
deny that the Spirit is really a divine person, 
it is impossible that they should believe in the 
reality of his operations. This error has its 
foundation in the denial of the divinity of the 
Holy Spirit. Hence, persons involved in it 
must first be brought to believe in the person- 
ality and Deity of the Spirit, before they em- 
brace the doctrine of his divine operations on 
the hearts of men. 

In support of the doctrine, that regeneration 
is a change effected merely by the word, it is 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 



103 



urged that the word is in Scripture represent- 
ed as the seed sown in the heart, and that it is 
expressly said, that we are « » born again, not 
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the 
word of God." 1 Pet. i. 23. 

But it may be replied that seed, of itself, 
will not vegetate without warmth and moisture. 
Sunshine and rain are necessary to cause seed 
to grow and bear fruit. The very fact, then, 
that the word is called seed, implies that it 
will require the sunshine and rain of the Holy 
Spirit to cause it to spring up and bear fruit 
unto eternal life. When ministers preach the 
gospel, they sow the seed, but it never vege- 
tates until quickened by the Spirit. 

The passage quoted from the first epistle 
of Peter, does not prove that any are born 
again by the word independently of the Spirit. 
The preceding verse shows that it was through 
the Spirit that they were born again : "-Ye 
have purified your souls in obeying the truth 
THROUGH THE SPIRIT." How through 
the Spirit? Peter answers, by "being born 
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorrup- 
tible, by the word of God." THROUGH 
the SPIRIT they were BORN AGAIN— BY 
the WORD of God. This accords with anoth- 
er passage. James i. 18: "Of his own will 
begat he us, with the word of truth." The 
Lord was the agent, the word was the instru- 
ment. The truth is an instrument well adapt- 
ed to the work of regeneration, and one most 



104 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



effective when wielded by the Omnipotent 
Spirit. "The word of God is quick and pow- 
erful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, 
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul 
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and 
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of 
the heart." The gospel "is the power of 
God unto salvation." The Savior said, 44 the 
words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, 
and they are Life." Paul calls the word " the 
sword of the Spirit." These several passages 
show that the word of God is a powerful in- 
strument; yet an instrument how powerful so- 
ever it may be, can effect nothing without an 
agent to wield it. The word, in the hand of 
the Almighty Spirit, " is the power of God unto 
salvation." "It is quick, and powerful, and 
sharper than anv two-edged sword;" it is spir- 
it and life ; it is the sword that slays the enmi- 
ty of the sinner's heart, and reconciles him to 
God. It is not the word, then, that regene- 
rates the hearts of sinners, but the Almighty 
Spirit, whose sword is the word of God. The 
very fact that it is called the sword of the Spir- 
it, proves that the Spirit is an agent, and the 
word an instrument that is effectual only when 
wielded. Some go to the opposite extreme, 
and deny the instrumentality of the word in 
regeneration. In defence of this many very 
plausible things may be said. According to 
the parable of the sower of the seed, the good 
ground existed before the seed fell upon it, 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 



105 



and, according to Luke, this good ground is 
" an honest and good heart." This honest 
and good heart, it is urged, must be a regener- 
ated heart, and, of course, was made so before 
the word was received. This is certainly a 
forcible argument, and did it not stand in op- 
position to some plain declarations of Scrip- 
ture, it would seem rather unreasonable to at- 
tempt to answer it. The following appears to 
be the only solution that can satisfy a reasona- 
ble mind. The parable seems to be intended 
to illustrate the effects of the word upon vari- 
ous classes of men, among whom some were 
regenerated persons. In this case, the falling 
of the seed upon the good ground represents 
the falling of the word upon the hearts of chris- 
tians, and if so, it proves nothing in respect to 
the use of the word in their regeneration. They 
may have been previously regenerated by the 
instrumentality of the truth. In addition to this, 
it is worthy of notice, that the reason assign- 
ed for the unfruitfulness of the word, in those 
represented by the way-side, was, that the devil 
took it away. It fell on the hard beaten ground, 
was not covered, and, of course, exposed to 
the fowls of heaven. If the Holy Spirit had 
been sent to soften the ground, cover the seed, 
and prevent Satan from taking it away, would 
it not have sprung up and borne fruit? Why 
did the devil take away the word, if there were 
no danger of the Spirit using it in regenerating 
those on whose hearts it fell ? This part of 



106 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



the parable does suggest the idea, that the word 
might have been made fruitful, had it been per- 
mitted to lie upon the heart, although it were 
so hard as the beaten way-side. 

The same is true in respect to that which 
fell among thorns. The reason that it was un- 
fruitful was, that the thorns sprung up and 
choked it. The thorns represent " the care 
of the world and the deceitfulness of riches." 
These " choke the word and becometh un- 
fruitful." They who received the word would 
have been fruitful, had not the care of the world 
and the deceitfulness of riches prevented. Had 
the Spirit attended the word, to counteract these 
influences, it would have made those who re- 
ceived it fruitful. Thus the parable, as a whole, 
seems to favor the idea, that the word may be 
the instrument of so renewing men, as to make 
them bear the fruit of holiness. It does not 
prove that the Spirit does regenerate men inde- 
pendently of the truth. 

The fact, that the Lord opened the heart of 
Lydia, that she attended to the tilings spoken 
of by Paul, is supposed to prove that the Spirit 
does regenerate men independently cf all truth. 
According to this fact, the Lord opened her 
heart before she heard the truth delivered by 
Paul, and the opening of her heart is supposed 
to be regeneration. But this is not certain. 
The Lord may, by his providence, open the 
eyes of unrenewed persuns, so far as to induce 
them to attend upon the means of grace with 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 



107 



some degree of earnestness. Besides, in open- 
ing Lydia's heart, the Lord may have used 
truths that she had previously received. The 
knowledge of one truth may prepare the heart 
for receiving others. There is no reason to be- 
lieve that Lydia did not previously understand 
some truth. The argument then drawn from 
this fact, although plausible, is not well found- 
ed. The fact does not prove, that the Spirit 
regenerates any independently of the truth. 
Nor does it seem reasonable, that the Scrip- 
tures should support such a doctrine. Man, in 
regeneration, comes to God, and "he that com- 
eth to God must believe that he is, and that he 
is a re warder of them that diligently seek him." 
But can he believe these without truth? In 
regeneration love to God is produced- — but how 
could love be produced to a being not known 
lo exist? Man is regenerated as a rational 
being, and not, as a mere machine, changed by 
mere physical power. The Spirit, doubtless, 
exercises a moral influence to which truth is 
essential. The Savior said, "This is life eter- 
nal, that they might know thee, the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ who f m thou ha3t sent." 
Regeneration is the entrance upon eternal life, 
which consists in knowing the Father and the 
Son. 

The truth on this subject has been well ex- 
pressed by the Westminster Assembly. They 
maintained that the " Spirit of God maketh the 
reading, but especially the preaching of the 



108 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



word, an effectual means of enlightening, con- 
vincing, and humbling sinners, of driving them 
out of themselves and drawing them unto 
Christ, of conforming them to his image, and 
subduing them to his will." According to 
this, the Spirit of God makes the word an 
EFFECTUAL MEANS of ENLIGHTEN- 
ING, CONVINCING, and HUMBLING 
SINNERS, not persons previously renewed, 
not christians, but SINNERS. The word is 
made an EFFECTUAL MEANS of DRIV- 
ING SINNERS OUT of THEMSELVES 
and DRAWING THEM unto CHRIST, of 
CONFORMING THEM to HIS IMAGE, 
and SUBDUING THEM to HIS WILL. 
How can SINNERS be EFFECTUALLY 
enlightened, convinced, humbled, driven out of 
themselves, drawn to Christ, conformed to his 
image, and subdued to his will, but by regen- 
erating them ? It is by regenerating operations 
that these things are accomplished for sinners. 
What but regenerating a sinner can drive him 
out of himself ? What else can conform him 
to the image of Christ? And what else can 
subdue him to Christ's will? There is not the 
least reason to doubt that the Westminster As- 
sembly meant, that the Spirit of God makes 
the word an effectual means of regenerating 
sinners, for they enumerated the things done 
in regeneration. To regenerate a sinner is to 
drive him out of himself, draw him to Christ, 
conform him to his image, and subdue him to 



COMMON AND SPECIAL. 



109 



his will. But does the Bible sustain the as- 
sembly in this opinion ? It is expressly said, 
as already quoted, " Of his own will begat he 
us with the word of truth." That is, he re- 
generated us with the word of truth. " Ye 
have purified your souls in obeying the truth, 
through the Spirit — being born again ;" that 
is, " through the Spirit, not of corruptible seed, 
but of incorruptible— BY THE WORD of 
God." 1 Pet. i. 22, 23. This shows that re- 
generation is effected through the agency of 
the Spirit, by the word. 

64 This is the covenant that I will make with 
the house of Israel, after those days, saith the 
Lord : I will put my laws into their mind, and 
write them in their hearts, and I will be to 
them a God, and they shall be to me a peo- 
ple." Heb. viii. 10. That is, God will regen- 
erate Israel, by putting his laws into their 
mind and writing them in their hearts. When 
God regenerates persons, he becomes their 
God, and they become his people. The Spirit 
renews the sinner by writing the truth in his 
heart. 

Sanctification is a continued "renewing of 
the Holy Ghost." It is as certainly a work of 
the Spirit, as regeneration. Christians are as 
dependent upon the operations of the Spirit for 
sanctification, as sinners are for regeneration. 
Christians we know are sanctified through the 
truth. John xvii. 17 : " Sanctify them through 
thy truth: thy word is truth." Now, if the 



110 



SPIRITUAL OPERATIONS 



truth is instrumental in sanctification, why not 
so in regeneration, which is but the commence- 
ment of sanctification I The language of Scrip- 
ture with respect to each, is similar. " Sancti- 
fy them through thy truth." " Of his own will 
begat he us, with the word of truth." Thus, 
the instrumentality of the word is asserted 
alike, in respect to sanctification and regenera- 
tion. Both are equally effected by the Spirit, 
through the truth. It is true, that regenera- 
tion is often attributed to the agency of the 
Spirit, without any notice of the instrumentali- 
ty of the truth ; but in no place is such instru- 
mentality denied, and in some places it is af- 
firmed. The fact that it is not always noticed, 
is no proof against its actual existence. 

How the Spirit does so impress the truth 
upon the heart, as to produce in it a radical 
and permanent change, or even to sanctify it, 
is beyond our comprehension. " The wind 
bloweth where it listeth, and thou nearest the 
sound thereof, but thou canst not tell whence 
it cometh or whither it goeth : so is every one 
that is born of the Spirit." The fact is re- 
vealed, that the Lord does put his law into the 
mind, and write it upon the heart, and the Sa- 
vior has said, that the Spirit " shall receive of 
mine, and shall show it unto you." John xvi, 
14. And we ought to believe, although we 
cannot comprehend how these things can be 
done. The intercourse between spirits is, to 
us, incomprehensible. It is clearly revealed, 



} 

COMMON AND SPECIAL. Ill 

that the Spirit puts the truth into the mind and 
writes it upon the heart, and that he himself 
also enters into those he regenerates and dwells 
in them. It is reasonable, therefore, to sup- 
pose, that he carries the truth with him when 
he enters the souls of those he renews. The 
question, then, asked by some, does the word 
come between the Spirit and the soul? seems 
to be out of place. The Spirit is immense in 
pervading every thing; consequently, no in- 
strument, that he is pleased to use, can come 
between him and the thing upon which it is 
used, as is the case with the instruments of 
material beings. No instrumentality can inter- 
cept the direct agency of the Spirit. 

From what has been said, it is abundantly 
evident, that regeneration is effected by the 
special agency of the Spirit, through the in- 
strumentality of the truth. This should lead, 
us to adore the Spirit, to earnestly seek his 
sanctifying influences, and to feel grateful to 
him for his merciful visitations to us, while we 
were enemies to God, unthankful, and unholy. 

If any of us are on the way to heaven, it is 
by his special grace. On his agency depends 
every hope of salvation. Sinners should be- 
ware of vexing, resisting or grieving him away, 
lest he depart for ever, and they perish with 
aggravated condemnation. 

We should also highly value divine truth. 
God has been pleased to make it essential to 
our salvation. It is a lamp to light up our way 



112 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



to heaven — it can make us wise unto eternal 
life. With what interest and delight should 
we study the sacred oracles, that we may see 
the sun of righteousness rising, with glorious 
effulgence, to dispel the moral darkness of our 
world. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE SPIRIT DOES NOT PERFECT SANCTIFICATION 
UNTIL DEATH. 

The "Westminster assembly asserted, that 
" No mere man, since the fall, is able, in this 
life, perfectly to keep the commandments of 
God, but doth daily break them in thought, 
word and deed." 

This assertion means that no mere man, by 
any assistance he receives from the word and 
Spirit of God, is able, in this life, perfectly to 
keep the commandments of God. The point 
denied is, that men, under the existing system 
of grace, have ability to be sinlessly perfect in 
this life. There is, according to it, an inabili- 
ty in fallen men, which prevents absolute per- 
fection in the present state. 

It is not denied that men, since the fall, have 
all the faculties necesssary to sinless perfec- 
tion. It is not asserted, that the inability lies 
in the want of physical powers. Man will, no 
doubt, have the same natural faculties in hea- 
ven that he has on earth. Nor is it denied, 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



113 



that it is the duty of ail to be sinlessly perfect. 
Man's obligation is measured by the extent of 
his natural faculties, without regard to the mor- 
al state of his heart. 44 Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with 
all thy mind." Luke x. 27. This shows that 
man is bound to love God to the full extent of 
his natural faculties, and beyond this nothing 
is required. Loving God thus is the fulfilling 
of the law. The being that does this is sin- 
lessly perfect. And that it is the duty of all 
rational beings thus to love God, cannot be de- 
nied. It is then admitted that man has all the 
natural faculties necessary to sinless perfection, 
for the law requires nothing beyond the natur- 
al capacity. It is not said, thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with more than all thy heart, 
soul, strength, and mind. It is also admitted 
to be the duty of every one to be sinlessly per- 
fect, and that all true christians will, at death, be 
made entirely perfect. The simple point then 
asserted is, that there is some kind of inability 
attached to our fallen state, that does prevent 
all and every one from being sinlessly perfect 
in this life. The difference in regard to per- 
fection is with respect to the time when true 
believers become perfect, and not with respect 
to the fact that they all will finally become per- 
fect. Let us then enquire, 

1st. Whether the Scriptures present any 
facts, of mere men, since the fall, being sinless- 
10* H 



114 



SAXCTIFICATIOX PERFECTED 



ly perfect. Job is one of the fairest examples 
presented in the sacred oracles. Job i. 1 : 
" There was a man in the land of Uz, whose 
name was Job ; and that man was perfect and 
upright, and one that feared God and eschewed 
evil." This is as strong language as is used 
with respect to any mere human being mention- 
ed in the sacred volume. And it is but candid to 
admit, that at first view the passage dees impress 
upon the mind, the idea of sinless perfection. 
But other parts of Job's history show, that al- 
though compared with other men, he might pro- 
perly be called a perfect man ; that is, as perfect 
as any of the race become in this life, yet it is 
evident that he was not sinlessly perfect. When 
a man is to considerable extent matured in pie- 
ty he may, in comparison with others, be call- 
ed a perfect man. It is admitted, that in this 
sense the Scriptures speak of perfect persons. 
There are babes in Christ, and there are men 
and women in Christ, persons of full stature. 
Such are perfect christians : they " are com- 
plete in" Christ. They are perfect after their 
kind, as perfect as christians generally become 
in this life. In this sense Job 44 was a perfect 
man, and upright." But had he been sinless- 
ly perfect, he would not have cursed the day 
of his birth, Job iii. 1 — 10. If he had been 
sinlessly perfect, the Lord would not have re- 
proved him. Job xl. 1, 2: 44 The Lord an- 
swered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth 
with the Almighty instruct him ? " Job con- 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



115 



fessed his sin, and said, "Behold, I am vile ; 
what shall I answer thee ? I will lay my hand 
upon my mouth." " I have heard of thee by 
the hearing of the ear : but now mine eye seeth 
thee : wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes." Job xl. 4, and xlii. 5, 6. 
Thus we have abundant evidence that Job 
was not sinlessly perfect. Had he been en- 
tirely holy, he would have had no reason to 
abhor himself, nor to "REPENT in dust and 
ashes." 

Zacharias and Elizabeth, it is said, " were 
both righteous before God, walking in all the 
commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
blameless." Luke i. 6. Yet they were not 
sinlessly perfect. Zacharias was guilty of un- 
belief, and was punished for it with dumbness 
for a season, Luke i. 18 — 20. They were 
righteous before God in a comparative sense, 
and blameless before men, but the corruption 
of their nature was not entirely removed, else 
there would have been no tendency to unbelief 
in the heart of Zacharias. 

It is reasonable to suppose, that if any sam- 
ples of sinless perfection were to be found on 
sacred record, the apostles would be such. 
They had the fairest opportunity of making 
the highest attainments in holiness. They 
were taught by Him who spake as never man 
spake. The teaching they received was the 
most perfect possible, and it was enforced by 
an absolutely perfect example. In addition to 



116 SANCTIFICATIOX PERFECTED 



this, the Holy Spirit was sent to bring all that 
they had been taught to their recollection. 
And if God intended to make christians sin- 
lessly perfect, there was a peculiar necessi- 
ty that the founders of the new dispensation 
should themselves have presented a perfect ex- 
ample. If sinless perfection is to be found in 
the christian church we must expect to rind it 
in the apostles. But no one, who attentively 
reads the New Testament, can fail to receive 
the impression, that the apostles were far from 
sinless perfection. Peter, a man of the most ar- 
dent piety among them, and one who preach- 
ed with the most signal success, not only deni- 
ed his Lord, but afterwards was guilty of dis- 
sembling; and the pious Barnabas was drawn 
away with his dissimulation and that of others. 
Gall. Li. 11 — 14 : " But when Peter was come 
to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, be- 
cause he was to be blamed. For, before that, 
certain came from James, he did eat with the 
gentiles ; but when they were come, he with- 
drew and separated himself, fearing them which 
were of the circumcision. And the other Jews 
dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that 
Barnabas also was carried away with their dis- 
simulation. But when I saw that they walked 
not- uprightly, according to the truth of the gos- 
pel, I said unto Peter, before them all, If thou, 
being a Jew, livest after the manner of the gen- 
tiles, and not as do the Jews, why compell- 
est thou the gentiles to live as do the Jews ?" 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



117 



Here we have an exhibition of what human 
nature is, even in its most sanctified state on 
earth. Few, if any, have excelled Peter and 
Barnabas in piety, in suffering, and labor in the 
cause of Christ, yet they gave painful evidence 
of indwelling corruption. They were far from 
being sinlessly perfect. 

Paul was pre-eminent in christian attain- 
ment, and yet he denied that he was perfect. 
Phil. iii. 12: " Not as though I had already 
attained, either were already perfect." " For I 
know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwell- 
eth no good thing." Rom. vii. 18. And these 
statements are verified by the fact, that he en- 
tered into a sharp contention with his brother 
Barnabas, merely because Barnabas had deter- 
mined to take John Mark with them. Acts 
xv. 31 — 39: "The contention was so sharp 
between them, that they departed asunder." 
Was it no sin to contend with a brother about 
a small matter, and even to separation? And 
Paul was manifestly in the wrong — he evi- 
denced towards Mark an unforgiving temper. 

It is abundantly evident, that the best of the 
apostles were not sinlessly perfect, nor can it 
be proved, that any mere man in this life, since 
the fall, has been entirely sanctified. From the 
fact that the apostles, who had more immedi- 
ate access to God than any since, were not sin- 
lessly perfect, it is reasonable to conclude that 
the Lord did not intend to make this life a state 
of sinless perfection. 



118 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



2. Let us enquire whether there are any pas- 
sages of Scripture that prove that any are made 
sinlessly perfect in this life. 

A variety of passages have been introduced 
to prove the doctrine of sinless perfection in 
this life, some of which it is now proper to no- 
tice. Rom. viii. 3, 4, has been supposed to 
sustain this doctrine : " For what the law 
could not do, in that it was weak through the 
flesh, God sending his own Son, in the like- 
ness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin 
in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law 
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the 
flesh, but after the Spirit." It is admitted that 
the righteousness of the law means the obedi- 
ence of the law, for the righteousness of the 
law consists in obedience. God, by making 
his Son a sin-offering, condemned sin in the 
flesh. Sin in the flesh, then, is as a criminal 
condemned to die ; but the text does not say 
how soon it shall die. The righteousness of 
the law is to be fulfilled in us, but how soon 
the passage does not determine. Our old man 
is crucified, and, of course, is to die a lingering 
death. Christ's death procured the influences 
of the Spirit, by which sinners are regenerated 
and gradually sanctified throughout life, and 
made perfect at death ; and his righteousness 
justifies them from all sin. Hence, all the de- 
mands of the law are met, and its righteous- 
ness will ultimately be fulfilled in all true be- 
lievers. The passage proves nothing more 



ONLY AT DEATH. 119 

than the justification, and the consequent final 
sanctification of those united to Christ. It 
does not prove sinless perfection in this life. 
It is admitted that Christ died to accomplish 
the entire sanctification of his people ; but it is 
contended that it is a work to be carried on 
throughout life, and that the future is the per- 
fect state, this the preparatory one. 

Another passage supposed to prove sinless 
perfection, is 1 Peter ii. 24: "Who his own 
self bore our sins, in his own body, on the 
tree, that we being dead to sins, might live un- 
to righteousness." Every one in regeneration 
begins to die unto sin and live unto ricrhteous- 
ness, and as the work of sanctification pro- 
gresses he dies more and more unto sin, and 
lives more and more unto righteousness. At 
death he dies perfectly unto sin, and lives per- 
fectly unto righteousness. This is all the pas- 
sage proves. It does not specify the time 
when we become dead, but asserts only, that 
Christ bore our sins, that we might become 
dead to sin and live unto righteousness. If we 
become perfect at death, Christ has not failed 
to accomplish the end for which he died. 

2 Cor. v. 15, deserves some notice: "And 
he died for all, that they which live should not 
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him 
that died for them and rose again." Every one 
that is born again does live unto Christ. In 
the new birth he begins to live unto Christ, and 
throughout life he becomes more and more de- 



120 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 

voted to him, and at death he becomes perfect- 
ly conformed to his image, and then lives unto 
him perfectly for ever. This is all that the 
passage proves. Christ died to accomplish 
finally the entire perfection of his people. 

2 Pet. i. 4, is supposed to sustain the doc- 
trine of sinless perfection in this life : 6 'Where- 
by are given unto us exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises, that by these ye might be par- 
takers of the divine nature, having escaped the 
corruption that is in the world, through lust." 
The great and precious promises tendered in 
the gospel, are, to sinners, the means of sanc- 
tification. When any one is regenerated, he 
becomes a partaker of the divine nature — he is 
born in the image of God — he passes out of 
the world into the kingdom of Christ, and thus 
escapes " the corruption that is in the world 
through lust." And as he becomes more sanc- 
tified by the word and Spirit, he becomes more 
and more a partaker of the divine nature, and 
more and more escapes from the corruption 
that is in the world. Nothing is asserted in 
the text but what is true of every regenerated 
person. Every such person is a partaker of the 
divine nature, and is in a state which secures 
him from being overcome and destroyed by the 
corruptions of the world. The passage, then, 
does not prove that any attain to sinless perfec- 
tion in this life. 

2 Cor. vii. 1, also claims notice: " Having, 
therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



121 



cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh 
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of 
God." This passage teaches that Paul and his 
brethren, although regenerated persons, were 
not yet cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh 
and spirit, and that they had not yet become 
perfect in holiness, else there would have been 
no need of the exhortation. " Let us cleanse 
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 
Inasmuch, then, as they had filthiness of the 
flesh and spirit still remaining in them, it 
should be the business of their lives to cleanse 
themselves, and thus continue to perfect holi- 
ness in the fear of God. And to this, the 
promises of the gospel should encourage them. 
Final victory was promised — -the prize was 
held up at the end of the race. They should 
" press toward the mark for the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Hence, 
the passage contains no proof that any attain to 
sinless perfection in this life. 

It is said, that " perfection in holiness is 
promised the christian in the new covenant," 
mentioned in Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, and in Heb. 
viii. 8 — 11. " Behold, the days come, saith 
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with 
the house of Israel, and with the house of Ju- 
dah : Not according to the covenant that I 
made with their fathers, in the day that I took 
them by the hand, to bring them out of the 
land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, 
11 



122 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



although I was a husband unto them, saith the 
Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I 
will make with the house of Israel. After 
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in 
their inward parts and write it in their hearts, 
and will be their God and they shall be my 
people. And they shall teach no more, every 
man his neighbor, saying, know the Lord, for 
they all shall know me, from the least of them 
unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord : for I 
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember 
their sin no more." In Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 27, 
is a similar promise: "Then will I sprinkle 
clean water upon you, and you shall be clean ; 
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols 
will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I 
give you, and a new spirit will I put within 
you ; and I will take away the stony heart out 
of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause 
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep 
my judgments and do them." In Dent. xxx. 6, 
is language equally strong: " And the Lord thy 
God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart 
of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart, and all thy soul, that thou mayest 
live." And these blessings are to be perpetual. 
Jer. xxxii. 39, 40 : " And I will give them one 
heart and one way, that they may fear me for 
ever, for the good of them and of their children 
after them. And I will make an everlasting 
covenant with them, that I will not turn away 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



123 



from them, to do them good ; but I will put my 
fear in their hearts that they shall not depart 
from me." Such are the promises of the new 
covenant, and these, some believe, promise to 
christians sinless perfection in this life, or in 
other words, promise that they shall be abso- 
lutely perfect in holiness in the present state. 
That the new covenant does promise, that 
christians shall attain sinless perfection, must 
be admitted; but how soon they shall attain it, 
is not stated. If it promises sinless perfection 
to one true christian it does to all, and that for 
ever, and that not on their own account — not for 
any thing they have done or can do. Ezek. 
xxxvi. 32 : 44 Not for your sakes do I this, saith 
the Lord God, be it known unto you." What- 
ever the perfection be, it is promised without 
regard to previous good works, or improve- 
ment of grace given, and equally to all the sub- 
jects of the covenant, and equally at all times. 
It is perpetual, 44 forever." If, then, the cove- 
nant does promise sinless perfection in this life 
to any, it does to all true believers, and that, 
from the time of regeneration to the end of life 
and during eternity. They are not to depart 
from God, but to fear him forever. If any of 
the true subjects of the covenant fail, at any 
time, of being sinlessly perfect in the present 
state, all may — no distinction is made in the 
covenant. They shall all have one heart and 
one way, and shall all fear God forever. If 
the heart of one be sinlessly perfect in this life, 



124 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED. 



so shall the hearts of all be, and that perpetu- 
ally ; and if the heart of one be imperfect, so 
shall the hearts of all be ; for they shall have 
one heart and one way. The apostles had one 
heart and one way, and we know that it was 
not a sinlessly perfect heart, nor a sinlessly 
perfect way. Both their heart and way were 
sinfully imperfect, yet they were true subjects 
of the new covenant, and in them were its 
promises fulfilled as fully as they will be in any 
others. They were, doubtless, a true sample 
of what God intended to make christians in this 
life. They were regenerated persons ; they 
believed and practiced the gospel, but not per- 
fectly ; they were kept by the power of God in 
a state of grace during life ; at death they were 
made sinlessly perfect. In life they had one 
heart, and one way in the love and service of 
God, but they did not love and serve him to 
the extent the divine law required ; still they 
feared God and did not depart from him — they 
were kept from final apostasy by the power of 
God, — at the end of their course they were 
made sinlessly perfect, and entered upon ever- 
lasting enjoyment. Thus, the true meaning 
of the new covenant is established by fact, and, 
certainly, this is the safest method of interpre- 
tation. The new covenant, then, does not 
promise that any shall be sinlessly perfect in 
this life. 

Still it is urged that we are commanded un- 
der the new covenant to be perfect. 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



125 



The Savior said to his disciples, "Be ye, 
therefore, perfect, even as your Father in heav- 
en is perfect." Matth. v. 48. Paul said to the 
Corinthians, " Finally, brethren, farewell. Be 
perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, 
live in peace." 2 Cor. xii. 11. These com- 
mands imply, that the persons addressed were 
not yet perfect. The disciples and Corinthi- 
ans were not commanded to continue to be per 
feet, but to become perfect. To become perfect 
was to be the business of their lives. 

They must continue to 44 grow in grace, and 
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus 
Christ." 2 Pet. xii. 18. They must stop at no 
point short of sinless perfection. They were 
running the christian race; the mark was at 
the end of it, and they should press toward 
the mark — the prize was held up at the end 
of the race for their encouragement. They 
would finally gain perfection, both in holiness 
and happiness. They were commanded to do 
just what was their duty, and duty which they 
were striving, amidst counteracting corruptions, 
to perform, and which they would finally ac- 
complish, when they would come to see the 
Savior as he is in the world of glory. Such 
commands do not prove that any do perfectly 
obey them in this life. That it is the duty 
of all to strive to be perfect, is admitted; the 
only point of controversy, is with respect to 
the time when christians become perfect. If it 
requires entire life to overcome the old man, 
11* 



126 SAXCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



and perfect the new man, the commands to be 
perfect are just as appropriate as they would 
be if it required less time to obey them ; conse- 
quently, they do not prove that any becomes 
sinlessly perfect in this life. Every effort 
which a christian makes to be holy, is an ef- 
fort to become perfect, and, consequently, an 
effort to obey the command, " Be ye perfect, 
even as your father in heaven is perfect." 
The christian is to spend the entire labor of 
his life in obeying this command, and will ulti- 
mately succeed. 

It is said, that we are taught to pray for sin- 
less perfection in this life ; and can we suppose 
that we are taught to pray for what we know 
will not be granted. This is, by far, the most 
plausible argument advanced to prove the doc- 
trine of sinless perfection in this life, and the 
most difficult to answer. 

A sample, it is said, of such, is given in 1 
Thes. v. 23, 24: 44 And the very God of peace 
sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your 
whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved 
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who 
also will do it." 

The Lord had called the Thessalonians from 
a state of nature to a state of grace — he had be- 
gun to sanctify them, but had not completed the 
work — they were not yet wholly sanctified, and 
the apostle prayed that the Lord would finish 
his work, that is, that he would continue to 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



127 



sanctify them until they should be made per- 
fect, but how soon he does not say, that he left 
with the Lord to decide. He asked that which 
was in accordance with the revealed will of the 
Lord, and paid due deference to his secret pur- 
poses. It belonged to the Lord to determine 
how soon he would perfectly sanctify and take 
the Thessalonians to heaven. Whenever per- 
sons are wholly sanctified, they are fit for heav- 
en. The apostle, then, prayed that the Thes- 
salonians might be fitted for heaven, and be pre- 
served, while in a state of preparation, as matur- 
ed christians, blameless in the sight of men, as 
were Zacharias and Elizabeth, unto the coming 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the apostles 
trusted that the Lord, who had called them, 
would do it. If Paul prayed that the Thessa- 
lonians might be sinlessly perfect in this life, 
his prayer was not answered. There is no 
more reason to believe that this church was 
wholly sanctified, than any other apostolic 
church. There is no ground to believe that 
Paul asked any thing more for it than he did for 
other churches. And we have painful evidence 
that the apostolic churches in general were far, 
some of them very far from sinless perfection. 
Whatever Paul prayed for, the faithfulness of 
God required to be done. 44 Faithful is he that 
calleth you, who also will do it." Now if the 
faithfulness of God required him to make one 
church sinlessly perfect in this life, it equally 
required him to make all others such. 64 If we 



128 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 

confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- 
give us oar sins, and to cleanse us from all un- 
righteousness." 1 John i. 9. Every one who 
truly confesses his sins is united to Christ, and 
so the faithfulness and justice of God requires 
that his sins should be forgiven, and also that 
he should be cleansed from all unrighteous- 
ness, or in other words, that he should be sanc- 
tified " wholly." The Thessalonians were 
united to Christ, and, therefore, the faithfulness 
of God required that they should be cleansed 
" from all unrighteousness." Hence, whatever 
the faithfulness of God, in this respect, requires 
for one true believer, it does for all. The faith- 
fulness and justice of God require the entire 
sanctification of all who are united to Christ by 
regeneration, for all such do confess their sins. 
Consequently, if the faithfulness of God requir- 
ed him to sanctify the Thessalonians wholly in 
this life, it required him to do the same with 
respect to all other true christians. 

But it may be said, that Paul prayed in faith, 
and faithfulness to God's promise to hear the 
prayer of faith, required that his prayer should 
be answered. 

To this is replied, that the prayer of faith is 
always offered in deference to the secret will 
of God. The Savior thus prayed, " O my 
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from 
me ; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou 
wilt" And again he said, " O my Father, if 
this cup may not pass away from me except I 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



129 



drink it, thy will be done." This is a true 
sample of the prayer of faith. The cup did 
not pass away, and yet the prayer of the Sa- 
vior was answered, for he prayed that his fath- 
er's will might be done — he did not desire that 
the cup should pass away contrary to his fath- 
er's secret will. And thus are all prayers of 
faith offered, and they are all answered. To 
pray without deference to the secret will of 
God, is practically to presume that we are 
more wise and benevolent than Deity himself. 
Paul besought the Lord thrice, that the thorn 
in his flesh, the messenger of Satan, might de- 
part from him ; but it was not the Lord's secret 
will that it should depart, and it did not depart. 
2 Cor. xii. 7—9. The Lord knew what was 
best, and Paul rejoiced in the infirmity that 
the Lord had sent upon him. 

God's promises to his people do not conflict 
with the exercise of his sovereignty. He, in 
all cases, gives, as a sovereign, just what he 
pleases, when he pleases, and as much or as 
little as he pleases. If, then, Paul did pray 
that the Thessalonians might be wholly sancti- 
fied in this life, the faithfulness of God did not 
any more require him thus to sanctify them, 
than it did to remove the cup of suffering from 
the Savior, or the messenger of Satan from 
the apostle, when thrice besought to do it. 
Consequently, this prayer contains no proof 
thnt the Thessalonians, were wholly sanctified 
in this life, and, of course, does not prove 
I 



130 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 

that any in this life do attain to perfect holi- 
ness. 

The Savior taught his disciples to pray: 
64 Thy will be done in earth as it is in heav- 
en." Matth. vi. 10. The revealed will of God 
must be intended, for his secret will is done 
alike in earth and heaven. In heaven there is 
perfect obedience to God, and, of course, per- 
fect holiness, and we are to pray that the same 
may be in earth, that God's rational creatures 
in this world may be just as obedient and holy 
as they are in heaven. In view of this, it is 
asked, why are we taught to pray for absolute 
and universal perfection on earth, when there 
is no reason to believe that God intends that 
such perfection shall exist in the present state ? 
That this presents a difficulty is readily admit- 
ted ; but difficulties are not proof that the posi- 
tion is false. Suppose one should deny that 
the Savior prayed that the cup of suffering 
might pass from him, and urge as proof that the 
Savior knew that the plan of salvation was es- 
tablished from eternity, and that the cup could 
not pass away from him — and why would he 
pray for a thing that could not be granted? 
There is an equal difficulty ; but it does not 
prove that the Savior did not pray that the cup 
might pass from him. The difficulty, then, is 
admitted ; but that it proves that earth will be- 
come as holy a place as heaven is denied. 

Prayer is an expression of the desire of the 
heart. It is the duty of the rational inhabitants 



ONLY AT DEATH* 



131 



of the earth to be as holy as those of heaven, 
and it is right in itself to desire that they should 
be what they ought to be. It is in itself desi- 
rable that earth should be as holy a place as 
heaven ; therefore, it is right to desire that it 
should be so, just as it was right for innocent 
human nature of the Savior to desire to avoid 
suffering, and be happy : and if it be right to 
entertain such desire, it is right to express it to 
God in prayer, although the object of it may 
not be granted. The petition, " Thy will 
be done in earth as it is in heaven," is an 
expression of benevolent desire, and also of 
the highest love to God ; his will is so good 
that it is desirable it should be done in earth 
as perfectly as in heaven. It is obvious that 
the feeling and expressing of such a desire 
is calculated to better our hearts. And perhaps 
the petition was intended to be a strong method 
of expressing our love to holiness. The true 
believer so loves holiness that he desires to see 
it extended to every rational being on earth. 

Again, it is the duty of christians to labor to 
make the world as holy as they can. There 
is no point short of entire perfection at which 
they may cease their exertions, consequently, 
their prayers should be in accordance with 
their labors. If they are not to cease their la- 
bors at any given point short of the entire per- 
fection of the world, why should they limit 
their prayers ? It is impossible for us to know 
the precise degree of holiness to which God 



132 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



intends to bring the world. God commands 
" all men to repent." Acts xi. 30. Yet all men 
do not repent, and must we on that account 
cease to labor and pray for the conversion of 
all men? Our prayers can be limited by noth- 
ing short of what the world ought to be. We 
are to labor and pray to make it what the law 
of God requires it to be, although the fountains 
of depravity may be so deep and wide as to 
prevent our final success. There is, then, 
some good reason why we should pray, "thy 
will be done in earth as it is in heaven," al- 
though earth never may become so holy a 
place as heaven. The fact, then, that it is our 
duty to pray for this, does not prove that it 
will ever take place. Consequently, the peti- 
tion, " thy will be done in earth as it is in 
heaven," does not prove that sinless perfection 
will exist in this life. 

There is yet another passage that claims no- 
tice. It is 1 John iii. 9: 4 6 Whosoever is born 
of God doth not commit sin, for his seed re- 
maineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he 
is born of God." 

If this means that every one that is born of 
God is sinlessly perfect, it also means that 
every such one is infallibly perfect, for " he 
cannot sin." Such meaning makes the text con- 
tradict palpable facts. The Scriptures charge 
sin upon Moses and David, Zacharias and Pe- 
ter, and upon many of the very best of the 
saints. Consequently, the text cannot mean 



ONLY AT DEATH* 



135 



that no one does sin in any sense after he is 
born of God, but that he cannot so apostatise 
from him as to make sin the business of his 
life — he cannot again become God's enemy and 
sin as the unregenerate do, who delight in sin, 
and make sinning the business of their lives. 
The seed of divine truth is planted in his heart, 
by the power of the Holy Spirit, and continual- 
ly tends to reclaim him when drawn away by 
temptation. 

The passage, then, does not prove that any 
one become sinlessly perfect in this life. From 
what has been said, it appears that the sacred 
volume presents neither facts nor passages to 
prove that any, in this life, become perfect in 
holiness. 

3. The Scriptures furnish ample evidence 
that no such perfection is attained in this life. 
According to the oracles, there is in our fallen 
nature an inability of some kind that does make 
regeneration, and a progressive work of sane- 
tification, indispensable to salvation. This in- 
ability does not consist in the want of natural 
faculties, for the law requires nothing more 
than to love God with all our natural powers. 
*« Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with ail 
thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy 
neighbor as thyself." Then, nothing is re- 
quired beyond the limit of the natural faculties ; 
but all these are so perverted, by apostasy from 
God, that the sinner does not perceive that God 
12 



134 SAXCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



is lovely. The soul is so corrupted that unre- 
newed men do not see the loveliness of the di- 
vine character, and, therefore, cannot love God, 
because to them there is nothing lovely in him. 
Every sinner has broken loose from God's 
throne, and loves himself supremely, and sees 
no loveliness in any thing else farther than it 
tends to self gratification. Man was originally 
constituted to love God supremely, and every 
thing else, as it tended to exhibit the loveliness 
of the divine character ; but by the fall, the or- 
iginal and holy propensities of his nature were 
turned out of their natural channel. Hence, all 
that ardent love which man originally placed 
upon God, he now bestows upon himself; and 
that affection which he bestowed upon the 
creatures of God, as they tended to unfold 
the loveliness of the divine character, he now 
gives to the objects of self gratification. Thus 
man, in his fallen state, loves himself and the 
objects of self gratification, as ardently as he 
did God and his creatures in a state of innocen- 
cy. This forms the bondage of sin. As man 
is in supreme love with himself, he is at su- 
preme enmity with God. Hence, it is said, 
"The carnal mind is enmity against God, for 
it is not subject to the law of God, neither in- 
deed can be." Rom. viii. 7. Man's inability, 
then, lies in supreme love to himself, and the 
consequent enmity against God. He is pleas- 
ed with his condition, and the eloquence of an 
angel could not persuade him to change it. He 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



135 



loves to be what he is ; consequently, there is 
no tendency in him to displace his affections 
from himself, and place them upon God, in 
whom he sees no loveliness. Hence, he is 
represented as being " dead in trespasses and 
sins." 2 Eph. i. 5. There is no more tenden- 
cy in a sinner, unless moved by the word and 
spirit of God, to love the divine character, than 
there is in a dead body to arise from the grave 
and perform the functions of life. If a sinner 
be let alone, he will just as certainly remain in 
his sins, as a dead body, let alone, will remain 
in the grave. 

Every propensity of man in his fallen state 
is turned against God and holiness. " Every 
imagination of the thoughts of his heart (is) 
only evil continually.' ' Gen. vi. 5. There is in 
him no tendency to turn from his sin. He sees 
nothing lovely in God and holiness. " The 
natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto 
him, neither can he know them, because they 
are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 14. His 
love of sin is such as perverts his spiritual vi- 
sion. Hence, he cannot see the loveliness, 
even of infinite excellence. Such is the deep 
rooted depravity of the heart, that the stupen- 
dous miracles and eloquence of the Son of God 
failed to convert men. There is, then, an ina- 
bility in the sinner's supreme love to himself, 
and consequent supreme enmity to God, that 
does make regeneration indispensable to his 



136 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



loving God and holiness. Hence, the Savior 
said, ''except a man be born again, he cannot 
see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. And 
44 no man can come to me, except the Father, 
which has sent me, draw him." John vi. 44. 
It is on the ground of this inability that sinners 
are said to be lost. 44 The son of man is come 
to seek and to save that which is lost." And, 
44 if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are 
lost: in whom the God of this world hath blind- 
ed the minds of them which believe not, lest the 
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is 
the image of God, should shine unto them." 
The minds of those who are lost, that is, who 
are in the unrenewed state, have a blindness 
that prevents the light of the gospel from en- 
tering into their hearts, to illuminate and make 
them wise unto salvation. The blindness is 
such, that 44 except a man be born again he 
cannot SEE the kingdom of God." No man, 
then, in his natural state, is able to see the 
kingdom of God, much less to enter into it and 
keep the commandments of God perfectly. 

In regeneration there is a partial deliverance 
from this blindness ; an imperfect view of the 
loveliness of the divine character is given, and 
love to God does, to some extent, prevail in the 
heart. The new man, it is true, is formed in 
all his parts, but in infantile weakness. He is 
a babe in Christ, feeble, and easily overcome 
by the power of temptation. At first faith is 
weak, but gradually grows stronger, as spiritu- 



ONLY AT DEATH. 137 

al nourishment is given to the new creature. 
Regeneration is the gift of God, and faith, in 
all its degrees, is also his gift; and, it must be 
admitted, that he has power to make, in an in- 
stant, a soul as absolutely perfect as that of a 
saint in heaven, and he could impart faith so 
strong as to give all the realities of heavenly- 
vision ; but it is not his plan to operate in this 
way: he gives just so much as he pleases — he 
first forms the infant, and then displays his 
kindness, wisdom, and power in bringing it up 
to maturity. The fact, then, that God does 
not make his people sinlessly perfect in regen- 
eration, is proof that he does not choose to do 
it. And there is the same reason that he should 
permit them to remain imperfect throughout 
life, that there is, that he should suffer them to 
be so at first. The sinner is dependent upon 
God for regeneration, and the saint is equally 
so for sanctiflcation. Hence, the Savior pray- 
ed, " sanctify them through thy truth;" and he 
said to his disciples, " without me ye can do 
nothing." There is, then, still an inability re- 
maining after regeneration, and such as makes 
the christian dependent upon God for every 
advance he makes in holiness. He is " kept 
by the power of God, through faith, unto sal- 
vation." 1 Pet. i. 5. Such as have no inabil- 
ity can keep themselves, and do not need God's 
keeping. So far would the christian be from 
making advances in holiness of himself, that if 
he were not kept by the power of God, he 
12* 



138 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



would all the time be falling back into sin. It 
is the power of God that continues him in his 
renewed state. Every prayer which a chris- 
tian offers for himself, implies this inability. 
What propriety is there in asking God to give 
us new hearts, to create within us right spirits, 
to sanctify us. to increase our faith, if there be, 
in no sense, any inability in us ? If christians 
be able, in every sense, to keep the command- 
ments of God perfectly, surely all such prayers 
are folly in the extreme. Why should Paul 
pray God to sanctify the Thessalonians whol- 
ly, if they were fully competent to do the work 
themselves ? Every such petition offered on 
behalf of christians is evidence that there is 
some sense in which they are not able perfect- 
ly to keep the commandments of God. The 
inability of christians to do even what they 
would is asserted. Gall. v. 11: " The flesh 
lusteth (desireth) against the Spirit, and the 
Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary 
the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the 
things that ye would." The desires of the 
Spirit are opposed to those of the flesh, or re- 
maining corruptions of nature, and, consequent- 
ly, a strong internal contest for dominion arises, 
and prevents christians from doing what they, 
upon the whole, desire to do. 

A similar view is given in Romans vii. 14 — 
25: 

" For we know that the law is spiritual : but 
I am carnal, sold under sin. 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



139 



" For that which I do, I allow not : for what 
I would, do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 

" If then I do that which I would not, I con- 
sent unto the law, that it is good. 

"Now then it is no more I that do it, but 
sin that dwelleth in me. 

"For I know that in me (that is, in my 
flesh,) dwelleth no good thing : for to will is 
present with me, but how to perform that which 
is good, I find not. 

"For the good that I would, I do not; but 
the evil which I would not, that I do. 

" Nov/, if I do that I would not, it is no 
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

"I find, then, a law, that when I would do 
good, evil is present with me. 

" For I delight in the law of God, after the 
inward man : 

"But I see another law, in my members, 
warring against the law of my mind, and bring- 
ing me into captivity to the law of sin, which 
is in my members. 

" O wretched man that I am ! who shall de- 
liver me from the body of this death? 

"I thank God, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. So, then, with the mind, I myself serve 
the law of God ; but with the flesh, the law of 
sin." 

That this is the experience of Paul as a chris- 
tian is evident from the fact, that it accords 
with what he represents to be the experience 
of other christians, " Ye cannot do the things 



140 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 

that ye would." Gal. v. 17. And of himself 
he says, "How to perform that which is good, 
I find not." 

He had just stated what he was, and now 
states what' he is. He, as a sinner, was alive 
without the law — he died, and now, as a chris- 
tian, he feels the bondage of sin. So strong 
are his remaining corruptions, that he is still 
like one sold into bondage, u I am carnally sold 
under sin." Such is the real condition of every 
christian ; his remaining corruption is so strong, 
that he has to be kept every moment "by the 
power of God," or he would plunge into the 
utmost depths of sin. He is so carnal, so com- 
pletely sold under sin, that nothing but the 
power of God can keep him from falling per- 
petually under its dominion. Few have ex- 
celled David in living and ardent piety, and 
yet, when left to his own strength, how hor- 
rible were the crimes he committed. How 
ardent and devoted was Peter when "kept 
by the power of God;" but when that pow- 
er was suspended a moment, he denied his 
Lord, and cursed and swore, as if he had at 
once become a devil. Either David or Peter 
might, with the utmost truth, have said, " 1 
am carnal, sold under sin." And the man that 
thinks himself better than either David or Pe- 
ter, would do well to receive the following ad- 
vice, "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take 
heed lest he fall." Did not David and Peter 
do that which they allowed not? Did they not 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



141 



do the evil they hated? Were not their gross 
sins striking evidences, that in their flesh, or 
corrupt nature, dwelt no good thing? Did 
they not find a law in their members warring 
against the law of their minds, bringing them 
into captivity to the law of sin? And could 
not each of them say, " I delight in the law of 
God, after the inward man?" And could not 
each of them say, " O wretched man that I 
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death? 5 ' David could say, "how love I thy 
law? " and yet there was in him such a body of 
death as suddenly drew him into the most 
shocking sins. Peter did that which, a short 
time before, he said he would sooner die than 
do. " Though I should die with thee, yet will 
not I deny thee." Yet such was the corrup- 
tion of his nature, that he did deny his Lord, 
and even cursed and swore. Such facts were, 
no doubt, recorded to show us what man is, even 
in his best state on earth. No one goes any 
farther in the way of holiness than he is moved 
by the Holy Spirit. Phil. ii. 13: "For it is 
God which worketh in you, both to will and to 
do of his good pleasure." This accords with 
Paul's experience : "I am carnal, sold under 
sin." So was he in bondage to sin, that he 
was unable of himself either to will or to do any 
thing good. Facts, then, and inspired state- 
ments show that there is in the christian, after 
he has been regenerated, such a tendency to sin, 
as renders him unable to keep the command- 



142 SAXCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



ments of God perfectly. This inability lies in 
the corruption of the soul, not in the want of 
natural faculties. It does not destroy account- 
ability, which is founded in the physical pow- 
ers of the soul, without respect to the state of 
the heart. 

In view of what has been said, it must be 
admitted, that such is the corruption remaining 
in the christian, that he cannot, of himself, per- 
fectly keep the commandments of God. If, 
then, he becomes sinlessly perfect, it must be 
by divine agency. But it has been shown, 
that there is no evidence that God intends to 
make men sinlessly perfect in this life. The 
present appears to be the preparatory state, 
and heaven the perfect one. The divine plan 
makes knowledge necessary to holiness. To 
grow in holiness it is necessary to grow in 
knowledge. The Savior prayed, " sanctify 
them through thy truth ; " that is, through 
knowledge. And, " we all, with (or in) open 
face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the 
Lord, are changed into the same image, from 
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
Lord." 2 Cor. iii. 18. Christians in the open 
face of Christ see the glory of the Lord as in a 
glass, and by seeing it are changed into the 
same image from one degree of glory to anoth- 
er, as they increase in holiness. By faith 
christians see Christ, and in him the glory of 
God, and by looking at him their hearts be- 
come more and more transformed into his im- 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



143 



age, as faith increases. Throughout life, faith 
grows stronger, and the view of Christ be- 
comes clearer, and the state of sanctification 
higher, until, at death, they see Christ as he is, 
and at once become perfectly transformed into 
his image. Hence, John says, " Beloved, now 
are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ap- 
pear what we shall be ; but this we know, that 
when he shall appear we shall be like him, for 
we shall SEE HIM AS HE IS." 1 John iii. 
2, John presents the fact, that we shall all 
see him as he is, as evidence that we shall be 
like him. Seeing Christ as he is, will trans- 
form us, by the power of the Spirit, into his 
perfect image* " Now we see through a glass 
darkly, but then face to face : now I know in 
part, but then shall I know, even as also I am 
known.'* 1 Cor. xiii. 12. There is not, in the 
present state, that clearness of vision which is 
necessary to absolute perfection in holiness. 
On earth we must live by faith — 44 The just 
shall live by faith." By faith God purifies our 
hearts, and enables us to overcome the world. 
Acts xv. 9, 1 John v. 4. By faith we see as 
through a glass darkly — by it we know but in 
part. At the end of our race it will be turned 
into actual vision, then shall we be perfectly 
like Christ, 44 for we shall see him as he is." 
Hence, Paul said, 44 Not as though I had al- 
ready attained, either were already perfect: but 
I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for 
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 



144 SAXCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehend- 
ed ; but this one thing I do 9 forgetting those 
things which are behind, and reaching forth 
unto those things which are before. I press to- 
ward the mark for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus.'' Phil. Lii. 12—14° 
Thus Paul compares himself to one running 
a race. The mark is at the end of the race ; 
so soon as the mark is reached the prize is 
gained. If sinless perfection be either the 
mark or the prize, it is at the end of the race. 
And surely no one can suppose any stopping 
point short of such perfection It is the busi- 
ness of the christian's life to become perfect in 
holiness. The work of sanctiflcation is to pro- 
gress from the moment of regeneration to the 
end of life. At death he enters upon a perfect 
state. It is not death that makes the christian 
perfect; it is seeing Christ as he is. Thus the 
children of God are to pass from one degree of 
glory to another, until in putting off the body 
they enter upon the perfect light of eternal day. 

That no one is sinlessly perfect in this life, 
is evident from the fact, that we are taught dai- 
ly to pray for the forgiveness of sin Matt vi. 
11, 12 : Give us this day our daily bread, and 
forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." 
That is, and this day forgive us our sins. Now 
if a person be sinlessly perfect he cannot say, 
this day forgive us our sins. All his former 
sins are forgiven, and he being sinlessly perfect 
has none now to forgive. The Lord's prayer 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



145 



is, at least, to be used so long as a man eats 
bread or takes food, and just so long the Savior 
supposes he will need the continued forgiveness 
of sin. He is to ask forgiveness just so long 
as he asks bread. The Lord's prayer, then, is 
founded upon the fact, that none are sinlessly 
perfect in this life. 

John teaches the same doctrine when he 
says, " If we say that we have no sin, we de- 
ceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 
John i. 8. The sins of all perfect persons are 
pardoned, and taken away. The saints in glo- 
ry have now no sin, and can truly say, we 
have no sin. If any on earth have become sin- 
lessly perfect, it is equally true of them, they 
have no sin, and can say with as much truth as 
the redeemed in heaven, we have no sin. But, 
according to John, if any on earth say, we have 
no sin, they deceive themselves, and the truth 
is not in them ; for all have sin. " There is 
none righteous, no, not one." 

It is positively asserted in the sacred oracles, 
"there is not a just man upon earth that doeth 
good and sinneth not." Eccl. vii. 20. This is 
an absolute denial of sinless perfection. There 
is not on earth a just man, so perfectly just as 
to live without sinning. If a man were sinless- 
ly perfect but a single hour, or even a moment, 
he would do some good without sinning. But, 
according to this inspired declaration, there is 
not a JUST man who does good without sin- 
ning. Tiie " righteousnesses of" the very best 
13 K 



146 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 

on earth are mixed with sin, and, therefore, are 
but " filthy rags." Solomon, while praying 
at the dedication of the temple, said, with re- 
spect to God's people, "if they sin against 
thee ; for there is no man that sinneth not." 1 
Kings viii. 46. That is, there is no man that 
becomes so perfect as not to sin. The pas- 
sage means nothing less than this, and, there- 
fore, is an entire denial of sinless perfection in 
the present state. It is true, then, that no 
mere man, since the fall, is able, in this life, per- 
fectly to keep the commandments of God; but 
" doth daily break them, in thought, word, and 
deed." 

When we consider what is implied in sinless 
perfection, it is marvelous that any reflecting 
mind should believe that it exists in this life. 
It implies perfect humility — every vestige of 
pride must be removed. It implies perfect dili- 
gence to know our duty in every respect. We 
must know it perfectly, according to the means 
and natural faculties God has given us. There 
must be no indolence relative to searching after 
the will of God. It implies perfect temperance 
in the exercise of all our appetites, propensi- 
ties and passions ; not merely according to 
what we do now, but according to all that we 
had the natural faculties and means of know- 
ing. If we speak a word too much when we 
might have known what was right, or omit to 
speak a word in season, it is sin. How much 
to eat and how much to sleep, how much to la- 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



147 



bor and how much to rest, how much to love 
our neighbor and how much to love our wives 
and children, must be known to the extent of 
our capability. Benevolence to our neighbor 
must be so perfect, that we will ever regard his 
person and interests as fully as we do our own. 
Sinless perfection implies, that we labor and 
contribute at all times as much as we ought to 
do for the temporal and eternal happiness of all 
men. It also implies that we not only love God, 
but that we love him at all times with as much 
ardor as the law requires, that we are fully as 
grateful to him as we ought to be ; that we are 
perfectly diligent in his service, that our pray- 
ers are just as fervent as circumstances at all 
times require, and that our faith and confidence 
are so strong as the divine testimony and the 
excellency of God's character demand. To the 
extent of our natural capacity, we must abstain 
from every thing wrong, and do every thing 
right, and in its proper time ; in short, every 
thought, word, and action must, at every mo- 
ment, be in perfect accordance with the divine 
law. All these things are necessary to sinless 
perfection. Now who that duly reflects upon 
our fallen state, the inordinate demands made 
upon us by appetites, propensities, and pas- 
sions, the more than ten thousand temptations 
to which we are hourly exposed, can suppose 
that any one, in the present life, becomes so 
holy as not to fail in a single point, amidst so 
vast a number of liabilities ? Surely the man 



148 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED 



who believes this, must either reduce down the 
divine law to meet our sinful infirmities, as in- 
telligent men did, who formerly believed the 
doctrine of sinless perfection, or they must take 
a very summary view of it, and forget that the 
"commandment is exceedingly broad." Psal. 
cxix. 96. It is extremely difficult to conceive, 
how one truly acquainted with the vast extent 
of the divine law, and the pride and deceitful- 
hess of his own heart, can believe that any be- 
come sinlessly perfect in this life. The most 
eminent saints that ever lived have continually 
confessed their sins. When ever lived a fairer 
character than Daniel, who, rather than omit 
his duty, chose to be thrown into the den of 
lions? and yet how long and how deep was 
his confession of sin ! Dan. ix. 3 — 20. This 
holy man, in sackcloth and ashes, with confu- 
sion of face, confessed before God his own 
sins and the sins of his people. The man that 
is sinlessly perfect is far in the advance of Mo- 
ses, and Aaron, and David, and Daniel, and 
Peter, and Paul, and Barnabas, and all the host 
of martyrs who have died confessing their sin- 
fulness. The more holy persons become, the 
more clearly they discover the extent of the di- 
vine law, and the sinfulness of their own hearts, 
while in the present state. Hence, the most 
holy men have uttered the most complaint 
about the sinfulness of their own hearts, and 
have been the farthest from supposing them- 
selves perfect in holiness. Deep and thorough 



ONLY AT DEATH. 



149 



confession of sin, in individuals and churches, 
is one of the best evidences of advancing piety, 
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just 
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from 
all unrighteousness." The confession of sin 
is continually a christian duty, and one that 
tends to humble us before God, and to cultivate 
humility in our hearts. The opinion that the 
doctrine of sinless perfection in this life tends 
to promote holiness, is not well founded. The 
pride of our hearts renders such a doctrine 
(dangerous. Were we perfect as the saints in 
heaven, ?nd, of course, free from all spiritual 
pride, such doctrine would do us no harm ; but 
while pride remains in our hearts, it will tend 
to increase it. While it has no tendency to 
make us more holy, it has^direct and powerful 
tendency to increase bur spiritual pride, and 
cause us to fall into the, condemnation of the 
devil. It tends to flatter, not to humble proud 
human nature. 

The fact of makirfg christians believe that 
they may become sinlessly perfect in this life, 
will never raise higher the standard of piety in 
the churches. Is it the fact, that sinners ex- 
pect to become perfect adepts in sin in this life, 
that induces them to pursue ii -with so much 
intensity ? Not at all ; they sin because they 
love to sin. They serve the devil because they 
love his service ; and all true christians serve 
God, not because they expect to become sin- 
lessly perfect in this life, but because they love 
13* 



150 SANCTIFICATION PERFECTED, ETC. 

his service. They love holiness "after the in- 
ward man," and, therefore, strive to obtain so 
much of it as they can. The ardent seeker of 
wealth does not labor incessantly day and night 
because he knows the precise amount that he 
can gain, but because he loves wealth, and de- 
termines to gain so much as he can. Just so 
with the christian, he loves holiness, and he 
trusts through the grace of God he can gain 
some, and determines to gain as much as he 
can in this life, and believes that at the end 
of his earthly race he will gain perfection. 
44 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled. " 
Matth, v. 6. Unless professors of religion can 
be brought to hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness, the standard of piety in the churches can 
never be raised higher than it is. If the hun- 
gry man cannot obtain so much food as will 
satisfy his appetite, he will labor to obtain so 
much as he can. Just so with the christian: 
he hungers and thirsts after holiness, and la- 
bors to gain all he can. 

Love to God and man is that which prompts 
to christian action. Let us labor to have this 
implanted and cultivated in the hearts of men, 
so far as practicable, and in proportion to our 
success, will the standard of piety arise higher 
in the churches. 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 151 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CHRIST WAS SO SUBSTITUTED FOR HIS PEOPLE 
AS TO MAKE FOR THEItt A REAL ATONEMENT, 
AND THUS PROCURED THE INFLUENCES OF 
THE SPIRIT, AND ALL THINGS ELSE NECESSA- 
RY TO THEIR SALVATION. 

1. The mere fact that Christ suffered, proves 
that there was some indispensable necessity for 
it in saving men. And what necessity could 
there be, unless justice required it? And if 
justice required any thing, it required the full 
penalty of the law. On the principle that God 
could dispense with a part of the penalty, he 
could with the whole. If it would be unjust to 
omit the whole penalty, it would be so to omit 
any part of it. If God could have pardoned 
and saved men without exacting the penalty of 
the law, surely he would have spared his own 
beloved Son. If justice did not require his 
sufferings, there was no indispensable need for 
them. The fact that he suffered is proof that 
justice required it, and if justice required any 
suffering, it required the full penalty of the law. 
Some assert that the penalty of the law was 
death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, and that 
Christ did not suffer those, and, of course, did 
not suffer the penalty of the law. To this it 
is replied, that death, temporal, spiritual and 
eternal, were the mode in which it pleased God 
to inflict the penalty, rather than the penalty 



152 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 



itself. Suffering was the penalty, and justice 
did not require that Christ should suffer it in 
the same mode in which it is inflicted upon the 
sinner ; and he, having divinity to support his 
humanity, was able to suffer, in a limited space 
of time, all that tho law demanded. 

2. Justice requires the protection of the in- 
nocent. Christ was innocent, and yet the fact 
that he suffered exists. If justice did not re- 
quire his suffering as the substitute for his peo- 
ple, he suffered unjustly, and justice has failed 
to protect the innocent. And if the innocent 
may suffer in the government of God, then 
where is the reward of innocence, or the pun- 
ishment of the wicked ? How shall we distin- 
guish between the righteous and the wicked, in 
respect to reward? Christ is the only fact of 
a perfectly holy being suffering, that can be 
presented in the government of God, — justice 
has protected all others ; and why this excep- 
tion, in one more lovely and more beloved than 
all others ? There was no ground on which he 
could suffer consistently with justice, unless on 
that of his being the voluntary substitute for 
his people. 

3. It is expressly said, that he was "made 
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem 
them that wprp. under the law." Gall. iv. 4, 5. 
What necessity could there be for his being 
made under the law, in order to redeem his 
people, unless it were to obey it, and suffer its 
penalty in their stead ? The fact, then, that he 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 153 

was made under the law, to redeem them that 
were under the law, and actually suffered un- 
der the law, is proof that he suffered in the 
stead of his people, and made a real atonement. 

4. It is clearly asserted that our sins were 
laid upon him, Isa. liii. 6 : " All we like sheep 
have gone astray ; we have turned every one 
to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on 
him the iniquity of us all." Iniquity is not 
a material substance that can be moved from 
one place to another. Sin consists in unholy 
exercises, or, in other words, it "is the trans- 
gression of the law." The exercises of one be- 
ing cannot be so transferred to another as to 
become his own, and render him personally 
criminal. Hence, there is no other sense in 
which our sins could be laid on Christ, than 
that of the punishment due on account of them 
being laid on him. It is difficult to conceive 
how any candid person can, in view of this 
passage, doubt that Christ was really a substi- 
tute for his people. The punishment due on 
account of their iniquity was laid on him. 

5. It js declared that he suffered for our sins. 
Isa. liii. 5 : 44 He tvas wounded for our trans- 
gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; 
the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; 
and with his stripes we are healed." What 
can this mean, if he did not suffer the punish- 
ment due to us for our sins ? In what other 
sense could he suffer for our sins ? What is 
the chastisement of our peace, but the pun- 



154 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 

ishment due to us on account of our sins ? 
This chastisement or punishment, necessary to 
our peace, was upon him. He endured the 
stripes due to us for sin, and therefore, "by his 
stripes we are healed." There is no other 
sense in which we could be healed by his 
stripes. The prophet also affirms, that " for 
the transgression of my people was he strick- 
en. " Isaiah liii. 8. And Peter declares that he 
"suffered for sins, the just for the unjust." 1 
Pet. iii. 18. It is impossible that the substitu- 
tion of Christ for his people could be express- 
ed in stronger language. He suffered for the 
sins of the unjust, the just suffered in the stead 
of the unjust. The passage can mean nothing 
less than that he suffered the punishment due 
to the unjust on account of their sins. Peter 
also affirms that "his own self bare our sins in 
his own body on the tree." 1 Pet. ii. 24. In 
what sense could he bear our sins in his own 
body on the tree, but that of bearing the punish- 
ment due to us on account of our sins ? He 
bare our sins just as if they had been his own. 
Some, to escape the force of this passage al- 
lege that the original means, that "his own 
self took away our sins in his own body on the 
tree." Let it be so. In what sense could he 
take away our sins in his own body on the tree, 
if not by suffering the punishment due to us on 
account of them ? It could not be by merely 
procuring our sanctification ; for sanctifying us 
prevents us from sinning, but does not take 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 155 

away sins already committed. It is not said 
that he sanctified us in his own body on the 
tree ; but that he took away our sins in his own 
body on the tree. The passage speaks of sins 
as already committed. There is no sense in 
which he could take away our sins in his own 
body on the tree, but that of bearing, in our 
stead, the punishment due to us on account of 
them, and thus releasing us from enduring it 
ourselves. 

6. Paul affirms that " Christ hath redeemed 
us from the curse of the law, being made a 
curse for us : for it is written, cursed is eve- 
ry one that hangeth on a tree." Gall. iii. 13. 
Every one that was hung on a tree was cursed, 
that is, was condemned for his crime. The 
curse, or sentence of the law, was denounced 
against him; and he, under this curse, was 
hung on a tree as a criminal. Christ redeem- 
ed us from the sentence, or curse of the law, 
by receiving in our stead the curse, or sentence 
of the law upon himself. The passage can 
mean nothing less than that he took upon him- 
self the curse or sentence of the law that was 
upon us, and endured it for us, and thus re- 
deemed us from it. 

7. The sufferings of Christ were extraordi- 
nary. He suffered directly by the hand of his 
Father. Isaiah liii. 10: "It pleased the Lord 
to bruise him, and he hath put him to grief." 
He made " his soul an offering for sin ;" and 
consequently, he took pleasure in bruising the 



156 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT* 



Son he loved infinitely well. It pleased, or as 
the word means, delighted the Lord to bruise 
him; and he hath put him to grief. What 
could induce the Lord to take pleasure in bruis- 
ing and putting to grief his own infinitely be- 
loved Son, unless absolute justice required of 
the Son, as the voluntary substitute for his peo- 
ple, the punishment due to them on account 
of their sins ? In what other sense could the 
Lord make his soul an offering for sin? 

Our Lord himself viewed the cup of suffer- 
ing as coming directly from his Father. Hence 
he prayed, " 0 my Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me." And when Pilate 
said to him, 44 1 have power to crucify thee, 
and power to release thee," he replied, 44 Thou 
couldst have no power at all against me except 
it were given thee from above." There is, 
then, undeniable evidence that the Father did 
bruise his own Son. His agony in the gar- 
den is unaccountable upon any other ground. 
There was no visible hand to afflict him, and 
yet his 44 soul was exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death," 44 and his sweat was as it were 
great drops of blood falling down to the 
ground." - What but the weight of our sins 
could produce such agony of Spirit? To sup- 
pose that the sufferings of the Savior were or- 
dinary, is to sink him, in respect to fortitude 
and patience under suffering, far below the 
martyrs, many of whom rejoiced and triumph- 
ed in the midst of burning fires. But what are 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 157 



earthly fires compared with those kindled up 
by the Almighty in the holy soul of the Son 
of God, when suffering the wrath due to sin- 
ners. It is no wonder he cried, " 0 my Fa- 
ther, if it be possible, let this pass from me." 
No inflictions by the hands of men could ex- 
tort from his lips a single complaint. They 
crowned him with thorns, they scourged him 
with cruel whips, they nailed him to the cross 
with rugged nails, and yet, "as a sheep before 
her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his 
mouth." But when the Father withdrew from 
him, " he cried with a loud voice — My God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" This 
shows that his sufferings were extraordinary. 
Why did the Father withdraw from him at this 
most trying moment? Sorely if ever there 
were circumstances in which a father would 
pity and deliver, if possible, an innocent son, 
these were such ; and yet the Father, who lov- 
ed his Son infinitely more than any earthly 
father loves a son, instead of delivering him, 
inflicted on him the deepest anguish of spirit, 
by withdrawing from him his supporting pre- 
sence. It is impossible to account for this on 
any other ground than that the Father really 
" made his soul an offering for sin," in the 
stead of his people. There is no room to 
doubt, the Son did suffer all that the law de- 
manded. O how amazing is the love of the 
Father to men in delivering up his own Son to 
endure in their stead the penalty of the broken 
14 



158 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT, 



law ! And how stupendous are the love and 
condescension of the Son in stooping from the 
throne of heaven to assume our nature, and 
bear in our stead the wrath of God ! 

From what has been said it is as evident as 
truth can be, that Christ suffered in the stead 
of his people, whatever justice demanded. But 
suffering alone was insufficient to repair the in- 
jury done by the apostasy of man. The de- 
sign of annexing a penalty to a law is not that 
of securing the sufferings of those who violate 
it, but that of securing obedience. The grand 
design of all righteous laws, is that of promot- 
ing the happiness and not the misery of those 
governed. Both truth and justice require the 
infliction of the penalty when a just law is vio- 
lated, yet the suffering of the penalty does not 
repair the injury done. This may be easily 
illustrated. For instance, when a murderer 
dies for his crime, he does not repair the inju- 
ry done to the government. There is manifest 
loss sustained. Two citizens are taken away, 
both of whom should have supported the gov- 
ernment. Could the murderer, after having 
suffered the penalty, return to life, restore to 
life the individual murdered, and make repara- 
tion for all suffered and lost, then, and not 
till then, could he be considered a good citizen. 
Hence, after the murderer has suffered for his 
crime, infamy is heaped on his name, and his 
body is buried at the foot of the gallows ; be- 
cause he is still viewed as one who has injur- 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT, 150 



ed civil society. The penalty annexed to the 
divine law was designed to secure obedience, 
and the consequent happiness of God's ration- 
al creatures, and not to secure misery. Hence, 
the suffering of the penalty does not answer 
the place of obedience, and, of course, does not 
alone repair the injury done by disobeying the 
law. Consequently, the Lord declares that he 
has no pleasure in the suffering of the penalty. 
Ezk. xxxiii. 1 1 : "As I live, saith the Lord God, 
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." 
Had the Lord received the penalty alone, he 
would have received that in which he, as a be- 
nevolent being, can have no pleasure. Thus 
it is obvious, that to save sinners, the penalty 
of the violated law must be endured by one 
who had perfectly obeyed the law in his own 
person. Under the former dispensation, the 
typical atonements were made by sacrificing 
the more innocent kinds of animals. These 
were types of him " who is holy, harmless, 
undented, and separate from sinners." "Such 
a High Priest became us." Heb. vii. 26. The 
holiness and innocence of Christ were indis- 
pensably necessary to his making atonement 
for sin. For this reason, no doubt, his holi- 
ness and harmlessness are so clearly stated in 
the Scriptures. He was placed under the se- 
verest tests of obedience. He was tempted 
with bread after having fasted forty days and 
forty nights, and, of course, was pressed with 
extreme hunger. He was tempted on the pin- 



260 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 



nacle of the temple, and on the mountain. He 
was tried beyond measure in the garden and 
on the cross. 

During all these temptations and trials, he 
rendered perfect submission to his Father's 
will, and thus conferred more honor upon the 
law, than could have been done by all the 
mere creatures in the universe. He thus ful- 
filled the prediction, " The Lord is well pleased 
for his righteousness' sake ; he will magnify the 
law, and make it honorable." Isaiah xlii. 21. 
Under agonies immense, and the hidings of his 
Father's face, he obeyed the law. Under such 
circumstances, all the mere creature strength of 
the universe must have failed, and the agonies 
of the second death must have fastened upon all 
God's rational creation. The obedience of Ad- 
am and his posterity, had they all obeyed per* 
fectly, could never have conferred so much ho- 
nor upon the law, as was conferred upon it by 
the obedience of the Son of God. The atone- 
ment, then, was made by the sacrifice of him 
who conferred infinite honor upon the law, and 
therefore, no limit can be set to its value. It 
is in itself sufficient for the whole world of Ad- 
am's race ; and were that race to be extended 
ten thousand times beyond the limits God has 
set for it, the sacrifice of Christ would still be 
sufficient for the whole. The sacrifice of Christ 
is not only sufficient in itself for the whole 
w r orld, but it is also suitable for all our race; 
and if all were united to him, he could save 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 



161 



them all as easily as save one; and on the 
ground of its sufficiency and suitableness, it is 
oiTered to all, wherever the gospel is preached. 
' Go into all the world and preach the gospel 
to every creature." Mark xvi. 15. The call 
extended to sinners is not founded upon the 
fact, that the sacrifice was made for every indi- 
vidual, but upon the ground that it is sufficient 
and suitable for every individual. That it is 
sufficient, suitable and freely offered, is all the 
sinner needs to know in order to receive it. 
i Is it any matter of interest to a hungry man, 
when sufficient and suitable food is freely offer- 
ed to him, whether it was prepared for him, or 
for some one else? Will it not satisfy his 
hunger just as well without his knowing wheth- 
er it was prepared for him or for some other 
person, and may it not be as sincerely offered 
to him, when prepared for another, as if it had 
been prepared for himself? For instance, 
when a neighbor steps in while a family are 
sitting down to eat, and is invited to partake 
with them ; the invitation is not founded upon 
the fact that the food was prepared for him, but 
on the ground that it is sufficient and suitable 
for him; and is not the invitation just as sin- 
cere as it could have been if the food had been 
prepared for him ? Unless the sinner can be 
brought to feel his need of Christ, tell him what 
you may, he will reject him ; but let the sin- 
ner be made to feel his need of salvation, and to 
know that Christ " is able to save them to the 
14* L 



162 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT * 



uttermost that come unto God by him," and also 
that he is freely offered to him ; and the sinner 
will receive Christ as certainly as a hungry 
man will receive food. It is not, then, as some 
suppose, telling the sinner that Christ died for 
him, that induces him to receive Christ, but his 
being made to feel his need of Christ, and to 
know that Christ is offered to him with the 
full assurance that if he receives Christ, he 
shall be saved. Then, in preaching the gos- 
pel, we should endeavor to convince sinners 
of their need of Christ, and to show them that 
the atonement of Christ is sufficient and suita- 
ble for them, and that it is sincerely offered to 
them. These facts the Scriptures clearly teach, 
and they should be constantly urged upon sin- 
ners. 

The Scriptures teach us that Christ died for 
the church. Eph. v. 25 — 27: 44 Christ also 
loved the church, and gave himself for it, that 
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the wash- 
ing of water by the word, that he might pre- 
sent it to himself a glorious church, not having 
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it 
should be holy, and without blemish. " Acts 
xx. 28: ■ 4 Feed the church of God, which he 
hath purchased with his own blood." The 
facts stated in these passages must be true. 
Christ did give himself for the church, and did 
purchase it with his own blood. He died for 
the children God had given him, and these 
children were the seed of Abraham. Heb. fL 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 163 



13—17: Christ said, "Behold, I and the chil- 
dren which God hath given me. Forasmuch, 
then, as the children are partakers of flesh and 
blood, he also likewise took part of the same, 
that through death he might destroy him that 
had the power of death, that is the devil; and 
deliver them, who, through fear of death, were 
all their lifetime subject to bondage. For veri- 
ly, he took not on him the nature of angels ; 
but took on him the seed of Abraham. Where- 
fore, in all things it behooved him to be made 
like unto his brethren ; that he might be a mer- 
ciful and faithful High Priest in things pertain- 
ing to God, to make reconciliation for the sins 
of the people." This passage shows that 
Christ died for his children — he, for their sake, 
partook of flesh and blood, and died to destroy 
the devil, and deliver them. He took not hold 
of angels, for so the passage should have been 
translated, but he took hold of the seed of Abra- 
ham ; and because he took hold of the seed of 
Abraham to save them, in all things it behooved 
him to be made unto his brethren the seed of 
Abraham. As true christians are born of the 
Spirit unto Christ, they are his children ; and 
as he and they are both the children of Abra- 
ham, they are his brethren. The passage clear- 
ly shows that Christ died for the seed of Abra- 
ham, and the church is the seed of Abraham ; 
therefore, he died for the church. Christ 
said, John x. 15: "I lay down my life for 
the sheep.'' The church consists of Christ's 



164 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 

sheep ; hence, he died for it. It is unnecessa- 
ry to multiply passages when the fact is so 
plainly stated. A great many others might 
be brought to prove that Christ died for the 
church ; but if any deny it in the face of the 
positive and unequivocal assertions of the sa- 
cred oracles now presented, it would be in vain 
to labor further for the benefit of such. The 
fact must be admitted by all who regard the 
authority of the Scriptures. 

The Scriptures also teach that Christ died 
for the world. John i. 29 : " Behold the Lamb 
of God that taketh away the sin of the world." 
"For God sent not his Son into the world to 
condemn the world, but that the world through 
him might be saved." John iii. 17. "And he 
is the propitiation for our sins; and not for 
ours only; but also for the sins of the whole 
world." 1 John ii. 2. According to these pas- 
sages, and a great many others that might be 
presented, it is an undeniable fact that Christ 
died for the world. Thus we have two unde- 
niable facts; one, that Christ died for the 
church, the other, that he died for the world. 
He died to cleanse the church, and died to 
take away the sin of the world, to save the 
world, and to be the propitiation for the sins 
of the whole world. The very same thing is 
done for the world that is done for the church. 
It is by faith in his blood that he is the propitia- 
tion. Rom. iii. 25: God set him forth "to be 
a propitiation, through faith in his blood." Ac- 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 165 

cording to this, it is by faith in his blood that 
he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole 
world. The text implies that the whole world, 
as a body, will be brought to believe in Christ. 
And this is just what the prophets teach. Abra- 
ham is "the heir of the world." The whole 
world is to become his family. The heathen 
are to be given to Christ "for his inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for his pos- 
session." Hence, the church and the world are 
ultimately to become one body. Christ stands 
now the great High Priest, taking away the 
sin of the world, so far as the world is regene- 
rated and brought into the church; and when 
the world, as a body, shall have been regene- 
rated and brought into the church, Christ will 
then be literally the Lamb of God, that taketh 
away the sin of the world ; he will be the pro- 
pitiation for the sins of the whole world, and 
by him the world, as a body, shall be saved. 
Thus, it is literally true that Christ died both 
for the church and the world. He saves both 
in the same sense; both classes of Scriptures 
mean the same thing. The world is saved by 
becoming the church. This interpretation ac- 
cords with facts. It is a fact that the church 
and the world are to become one body; and it 
is a fact that Christ takes away the sins of 
none but of those who believe in him : he pro- 
pitiates for none but such — he saves none but 
such. 

To interpret the passages that speak of 



166 EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 

Christ dying to save the world, to mean that 
he died in the same sense for every individual 
of our race, and, of course, to save every indi- 
vidual, is to make the Scriptures contradict 
facts. Every individual has not been saved. 
And it is to make Christ die for the sins of 
men after they were in hell; for he suffered 
" for the redemption of the transgressions that 
were under the first testament." Heb. ix. 15. 
His people under the former dispensation were 
saved on the credit of Christ. He died for 
their sins, and, of course, if he died in the same 
sense for the sins of every individual that ex- 
isted during that dispensation, he died for the 
sins of those who were in perdition at the time 
he suffered. This seems exceedingly improb- 
able. The Savior said, "And I, if I be lifted 
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." 
John xii. 32. If this be interpreted to mean 
every individual of our race, it will contradict 
fact. It is not true that every individual has 
not been drawn to Christ. According to fact, 
the assertion can mean nothing more than that 
he would draw the mass of men to him, — the 
world as a body. Every interpretation of 
Scripture that contradicts fact, is false. The 
passage just presented, goes as far to prove that 
Christ died in the same sense for every indi- 
vidual of our race, as any other. 

There is a more extended sense, in which 
Christ died for the world, than the one present- 
ed in the passages considered. Had it not been 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 107 



for the interposition of Christ, justice would 
have prohibited the bestowment of every bless- 
ing", temporal or spiritual. By one sudden 
stroke of justice, the race must have been cut 
off. Hence, a Savior was provided before man 
fell, to save him from dropping at once into 
hell, as did apostate angels. On the same prin- 
ciple, that God could bestow any favor without 
Christ, he could bestow any amount of favor, 
and even eternal salvation, without him. Tem- 
poral blessings could, no more than spiritual 
blessings, be bestowed without a Savior. Con- 
sequently, the operation of the plan of salva- 
tion required that the race should be put un- 
der a dispensation of grace. Not merely must 
the execution of justice be suspended, but tem- 
poral blessings must be bestowed, so far as to se- 
cure the existence of those to be saved. In this 
sense, ihe plan of salvation secured blessings for 
the entire race, and the death of Christ was in- 
tended to procure these blessings. In this res- 
pect, he tasted " death for every man. " He died 
for all, that they which live, should not hence- 
forth live unto themselves, but unto him which 
died for them, and rose again." 2 Cor. v. 15. 
In this passage there is an accurate distinction 
made. He died for all — not that all should ac- 
tually live, but that they which do live, should 
not henceforth live unto themselves. He died 
for all — because all were alike dead, and one 
main object of his dying was, that they who 
live by regeneration might live unto him who 



168 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 



died for their offences, and rose again for their 
justification. Hence, Christ 44 is the Savior 
of all men, specially of those that believe." 1 
Tim. iv. 10. There is, then, a sense in which 
Christ did die for the entire race, and there is a 
sense in which all the families of the earth are 
literally blessed in Christ, the seed of Ahraham. 

From what has been said, it is evident that 
the sacrifice of Christ was made to save both 
the world and the church, because both are ulti- 
mately to become one body, and also that it was 
made to procure the blessings necessary to the 
existence of our race. The execution of justice 
was suspended by it, and the entire race placed 
under a dispensation of mercy. These facts 
easily explain all the seemingly varient passa- 
ges in relation to the death of Christ. The 
interpretation is fairly an induction from facts 
that do and, according to prophecy, will exist. 

The view now presented, while it easily har- 
monizes passages of Scripture that seem to 
vary, has all the advantages, in respect to ex- 
tending the institutions of the gospel, that any 
other can have. Every individual is invited, 
with the positive assurance, that if he believes 
he shall be saved. No device of man can save 
any more than those that believe, nor is it prop- 
er to use any means beyond what God has ap- 
pointed to induce men to believe. We should 
faithfully present the truth as it is, and prayer- 
fully commit the case to him who is able to 
save. False representations of the gospel tend 



EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. 169 

to fill np the churches with false professors, 
and not with genuine converts. 

From the facts presented it must be obvious, 
that the influences of the Spirit, and every oth- 
er blessing necessary to the salvation of Christ's 
people, were procured by his obedience and 
sufferings. It has been shown, that justice, 
without a Savior, would forbid all favors, both 
temporal and spiritual. Consequently, the Spir- 
it, and all other blessings, must be the purchase 
of the Savior's obedience and death. Christ 
said to his disciples, "If I go not away, the 
Comforter will not come unto you, but if I de- 
part I will send him unto you." John xvi. 7. 
Under the former dispensation the Spirit was 
given on the credit of Christ, and now the time 
had come when he must satisfy the demands 
of justice, and, therefore, if he go not away by 
the bloody death of the cross, the Comforter 
will not come unto his people. It is admitted, 
that the Spirit is the gift of God ; but then it is 
a gift that justice would have prohibited, had 
not the Savior satisfied its demands. The 
Spirit, then, and all other blessings, are bestow- 
ed at infinite expense. How greatly does this 
enhance the grace of God ! How great is our 
debt of gratitude to the Father, Son, and Spirit! 
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
peace, good will toward men." 



15 



170 



Christ's people justified 



CHAPTER IX. 

Christ's people are justified by his right- 
eousness. 

That Christ's people are justified by right- 
eousness is a fact clearly stated in the Scrip- 
tures, consequently, one of two things is inevi- 
tably true, either that they are justified by his 
righteousness, or, that they are justified by 
their own righteousness. If justified by their 
own righteousness, which consists in obedience 
to the law, they are justified by the deeds of 
the law; but Paul declares that 44 by the deeds 
of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in 
his sight." Rom. iii. 20. According to James, 
we are justified in the sight of men, as to the gen- 
uineness of our profession by works; but accord- 
ing to Paul, no man can be justified in the sight 
of God by the deeds of the law, that is, by works. 
Then, although men may justify us by works, 
yet God will not justify us by them. 44 By the 
deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justi- 
fied in his sight." To this it may be replied, 
that Christ's people are justified by faith, and 
neither by his righteousness nor their own : 
but simply by the act of believing being reck- 
oned to them for righteousness, as ^Abra- 
ham believed God, and it was counted unto 
him for righteousness." Rom. iv. 3. It is said 
44 the reason why it was counted to him for 
righteousness was, that it was such a strong, 



BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 



171 



direct, and unwavering act of confidence in the 
promise of God." If this means any thing, it 
means that so strong an act of confidence in 
God merited justification. This strong confi- 
dence in God was so meritorious an act, that it 
was counted to Abraham for righteousness. 
If the strength of the act was the REASON 
why it was imputed to Abraham for righteous- 
ness, the act itself was the righteousness, and 
Abraham was justified by his own righteous- 
ness, or merits. And yet this same writer 
affirms, that "If Abraham was justified on the 
ground of his own merits, he would have rea- 
son to boast, or to claim praise. He might re- 
gard himself as the author of it, and take the 
praise to himself."* It is strange that so ex- 
cellent a writer should make so palpable a con- 
tradiction in so small a compass. Abraham's 
act of believing was as truly his own exercise 
as his loving God, or his neighbor, or any 
thing else, and was as much a deed of the law 
as any other exercise could be. And, of course, 
if this act of believing was alone counted to 
Abraham for righteousness, then he was justi- 
fied by the law, and Paul's argument, drawn 
from Abraham's justification, was against his 
own assertion, that "by the deeds of the law, 
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." 
The law as certainly requires us to believe God 
as it does to obey him. The same writer 



* Barnes on Rom. iv. 



172 Christ's people justified 



affirms that the word "IT," here, evidently 
refers to the ACT of believing. It does not 
refer to the righteousness of another, of God, or 
of the Messiah. If this be true, then all Chris- 
tians are justified by Abraham's act of believ- 
ing ; for Paul affirms that it was not written 
for Abraham's "sake alone, that it was imputed 
to him, but for us also, to whom IT shall be 
imputed, if we believe on him that raised up 
Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was deliv- 
ered for our offences, and raised again for our 
justification. " The same IT is imputed to us 
that was imputed to Abraham. If the act of 
believing justifies us, how was Christ raised 
for our justification? That it was not Abra- 
ham's act of believing that was counted to him 
for righteousness, is evident from the fact, that 
it is contrary to the purpose for which Paul 
introduced the passages. In the preceding 
chapter he denied justification by the deeds, 
that is, by the righteousness of the law, and as- 
serted justification by the righteousness of God. 
Rom. iii. 20 — 31 : " By the deeds of the law, 
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. — 
But now the righteousness of God, without the 
law, is manifested ; even the righteousness of 
God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto 
all, and upon all them that believe. — Being jus- 
tified freely by his grace, through the redemp- 
tion that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath 
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his 
blood, to declare his righteousness for the re- 



BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 



173 



mission of sins — to declare, / say, at this time, 
his righteousness : that he might be just, and 
the justifier of him that belie veth in Jesus. 
Therefore, we conclude, that a man is justified 
by faith without the deeds of the law. Seeing it 
is one God which shall justify the circumcision 
by faith, and uncircumcision through faith." 

By the deeds or righteousness of the law, no 
flesh shall be justified; but the righteousness 
of God is manifested for justification. This 
righteousness is, by faith in Christ, " unto all, 
and upon all them that believe," that is, by 
faith we receive this righteousness which is for 
the remission of sins. We are justified freely 
by grace, through the redemption that is in 
Jesus Christ; that is, through what Christ has 
done for us through his righteousness. This 
righteousness was necessary that God might be 
just, and the justifier of those that believe in 
Christ. The passage shows clearly that there 
is a righteousness distinct from the act of be- 
lieving, that it is received by faith, and is 
unto all, and upon all that believe. In what 
sense could the act of believing be said to be 
*' unto all, and upon all them that believe ?" 
When Paul says that we are justified by faith, 
he must either mean that believing is a merito- 
rious act that so atones for our sins, that God 
can justify us, or that it is the instrument by 
which we receive a justifying righteousness. 
He does not mean that we are justified by be- 



15* 



174 



Christ's people justified 



lieving as a meritorious act, for that would be 
justification by the deeds of the law, and there- 
fore, he must mean that by believing we re- 
ceive Christ's righteousness for justification. 
That he does mean this is evident, from the 
fact that he asserts that "we have access by 
faith into this grace wherein we stand." Rom. 
v. 2. 

The continuation of the apostle's argument 
proves that we are justified by Christ's right- 
eousness, and not by the act of believing. He 
expressly asserts that we are "justified by his 
blood." Rom. v. 9. He also asserts that " by 
the righteousness of one the free gift came up- 
on all men unto justification of life," that is, 
all men in Christ ; for none but those in him 
are justified. And, "by the obedience of one 
shall many be made righteous." Rom. v. 18, 
19. These several expressions occur in the 
apostle's argument to establish justification by 
faith. Three times over he affirms justifica- 
tion by Christ, " by his blood," by his " right- 
eousness," and by his " obedience." By these 
several expressions the same thing is meant. 
As his blood was indispensable to salvation, it 
is used to express all that Christ did for us; 
righteousness and obedience are the same, each 
means all that Christ did for us in procuring 
justification. 

During the same discussion, Paul charges 
the Jews with "being ignorant of God's right- 



BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 



175 



eousness ; and going about to establish their 
own righteousness, have not submitted them- 
selves unto the righteousness of God." And 
he affirms that " Christ is the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that believed." 
Rom, x. 3, 4. The end, object, or design of 
the law is obedience. Christ is the end, or 
obedience of the law for righteousness to every 
one that believeth. That is, Christ has obey- 
ed the law for every one that believes. This 
shows clearly what Paul means by the right- 
eousness of God. Christ is the righteousness 
of God to every one that believes. He has 
satisfied the demands of the law in the stead of 
those that believe ; and, therefore, is to them 
the obedience of the lav/ for righteousness : 
Christ, then, and not the act of believing, is the 
righteousness of God to believers. 

Paul teaches the same doctrine to the Phi- 
lippians. Phil. iii. 8, 9 : "That I may win 
Christ, and be found in him, not having mine 
own righteousness, which is of the law, but 
that which is through the faith of Christ, 
the righteousness which is of God by faith." 
Here is a righteousness that is not faith, not of 
the law, and one that Paul desired to possess, 
a righteousness that comes upon us through 
faith in Christ, and one which is of God by 
faith. Thus, it is obvious that faith is the 
means by which we receive a justifying right- 
eousness, and it is in this sense that Paul 



176 Christ's people justified 



teaches justification by faith. Christ's right' 
eousness is the righteousness that God has pro- 
vided for our justification ; and, therefore, it is- 
properly called God's righteousness. 

It is proper to add, that Paul asserts express- 
ly that Christ is of God, made unto us right- 
eousness. 1 Cor. i. 30: "But of him are ye 
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto wis- 
dom, and righteousness. " How is he made 
unto us righteousness? Paul answers, "Even 
as David also describe th the blessedness of the 
man unto whom God iraputeth righteousness 
without works, saying, blessed are they whose 
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are cov- 
ered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord 
will not impute sin." Rom. iv. 6—8. The woid 
impute signifies, charge, or account. Blessed 
is the man to whom God imputeth, or charg- 
eth righteousness. God charges righteousness 
upon believers without works ; but faith is a 
work, and therefore faith, as an Exercise, cannot 
be the righteousness charged to the believer. 
When Paul says faith is counted for righteous- 
ness, he must mean faith connected with the 
righteousness of Christ; for in one place he 
affirms that Christ is made unto us righteous- 
ness, and in another that righteousness is im- 
puted, or charged, to us without works. Does 
he charge to believers a righteousness, when, 
in fact, there is none — they have none of their 
own ? Either Christ's righteousness is charg- 



BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 1?7 

ed to them or none. Their faith in Christ is 
counted to them for righteousness; that is, 
Christ is, by faith, made righteousness to them. 
Their iniquities are forgiven for Christ's sake, 
their sins are covered by his righteousness ; 
the Lord will not impute sin to them, because 
Christ has taken away their sin. It is a fact 
that all are sinners ; how then could God as a 
just judge avoid charging sin to them unless 
their sins were taken away by Christ's right- 
eousness ? What propriety could there be in 
Christ's suffering for us if his sufferings are 
not charged to us ? It is asserted that God 
" hath made him to be sin for us who knew no 
sin, that we might be made the righteousness 
of God in him." 2 Cor. v. 21. Now in what 
sense could we be made the righteousness of 
God in him, unless the righteousness of God 
be imputed to us, or in some way be made 
ours ? The assertion is exceedingly strong ; 
Christ is declared to be made sin itself for us, 
that we might be made righteousness itself, — 
" As by one man's disobedience many were made 
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many 
be made righteous." As Adam's disobedience 
or unrighteousness condemned him and all his 
posterity, so the obedience, or righteousness 
of Christ, justifies him and all his posterity. 
Believers are Christ's children. He is the rep- 
resentative of his people ; he and they consti- 
tute but one body, as the vine and its branches 

M 



178 Christ's people justified 



are one ; as the head and the different mem- 
bers of the human body constitute but one 
body ; or as the husband and wife are one 
flesh, he and his people are one flesh. "For 
we are members of his body, of his flesh, and 
of his bones." Eph. v. 30. Thus the strong- 
est figures are used to express the unity of 
Christ and his people, — " By one Spirit we are 
all baptized into one body." This one body, 
through Christ the acting- head, has fulfilled the 
demands of the law ; he has obeyed it, and suf- 
fered its penalty in the stead of his members. 
His resurrection was his justification as the 
representative of his people; it was a declara- 
tion that justice was satisfied ; hence it is said, 
"he was raised again for our justification." 
We are justified by being united to a justified 
head. "What Christ did and suffered consti- 
tutes one righteousness that covers the whole 
body. It remains with the head, and is impu- 
ted to the members for justification as fully as 
if they had wrought it out themselves. This 
does not imply that Christ's personal acts are 
so transferred as to become the personal acts of 
his people. Christ's righteousness is not trans- 
ferred from himself, but his members are justi- 
fied by being put into him so as to become a 
part of his body. What has been done by the 
head justifies the whole body ; it is imputed to 
the members for justification as fully as if they 
had done it themselves. They are treated as 



BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 



179 



if they had perfectly obeyed the law in their 
own persons. The value of Christ's righteous- 
ness is unlimited, and, of course, the body ne- 
ver can be so extended as to exhaust its merits. 
It will justify a large body just as easily as a 
small one, and yet there is in it nothing super- 
fluous. It will do no more than justify the 
body. None can be justified without union 
with Christ, and 44 he is able to save unto the 
uttermost all that come unto God by him." 
It is then a precious truth that Christ "is the 
Lord our righteousness." There is " now no 
condemnation to them which are in Christ 
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after 
the Spirit." They may joyfully exclaim, 44 1 
will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall 
be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me 
with the garments of salvation, he hath cover- 
ed me with the robe of righteousness." 

Let none say that, if Christ paid the debt 
due to justice, the justification is not of grace, 
but of debt. It is of debt to Christ, and the 
Father has promised that 44 he shall see of the 
travail of his soul, and be satisfied." 44 If we 
confess our sins" God 44 is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness." Faithfulness and justice to 
Christ require him to pardon and sanctify all 
that truly confess their sin. Chrsit has paid 
the debt, and justice owes it to him to save all 
united to him. But to us it is all grace, and 



180 Christ's people justified, etc. 

that at infinite expense. God provided the 
Savior, and not we, "he spared not his own 
Son ; but freely delivered him up for us all." 
He that is the mighty God assumed our na- 
ture, and endured for us agonies unknown! 
O how stupendous the grace! Salvation to 
God and the Lamb for ever. 



the end. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2006 

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